


Fool's Gold

by Starshot



Series: Triggernometry [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Akatsuki are just a little bit crazy, Anal Sex, BAMF Women, Bathtub Sex, Fluff and Angst, Kakashi is head over heels for a certain outlaw, Konan ain't got no time for that, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry, awful humour, especially Hidan, except Hinata sorry, old west au, or for a certain silver haired sheriff, outlaw!Obito, sheriff!Kakashi, to the detriment of his common sense really, yeah that's a thing now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-07-25 05:39:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 49,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16191197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshot/pseuds/Starshot
Summary: Kakashi’s a sheriff with a secret – a night that should never have happened, and a man he can’t seem to forget. But with Obito back on the run, and his own duties keeping him in Konoha, it seems like there’s no hope for the two of them. Everything is about to change though. Because there are new outlaws in town. And dealing with them is going to require help from a very unexpected source.Kakashi doesn’t know it yet - but his life is never going to be the same again.





	1. Silver, Gold and Guns

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently I can't write anything to a word limit... because ‘a few ideas’ somehow turned into approximately six chapters worth of story that actually isn’t all smut (although fair advance warning – it’s totally going to be in here at some point). Thanks to all the wonderful people who read and gave feedback on my first story! This one only exists because of you guys. So hopefully there will be something in it you can enjoy. 
> 
> If you haven't read Nothing Left to Lose (the oneshot that started this) you might want to, because this just picks up where it left off. You don't have to for it to make sense though - the long and short of it is Kakashi tries to catch Obito, and ends up sleeping with him instead. Whoops!

Kakashi stared at the page in front of him, reading the same sentence for what must have been the fourth time.

The squeaking was back again; muted but unmistakeable.

Rising and falling in pitch, it had a rhythmic consistency vaguely reminiscent of a large and raucous group of mice fighting in the room next-door. Or having an orgy. Unfortunately, imagining either was distracting, and he couldn’t decide if it was better or worse than knowing the truth.

Fixing his gaze determinedly back to the paper he tried again.

_Upon arrest the stolen goods were confiscated and-_

A loud and indecent moan carried through the wall.

Slapping the report onto his desk, he sighed irritably. Once again he tried to tell himself that this arrangement was only temporary. That the old sheriff’s office had only burnt down a few months ago, and Konoha would have a new one just as soon as the budget was approved. In the meantime it was nobody’s fault that the only spare offices in town happened to be located in Jiraiya’s brothel.

If any of the town’s residents had seen the irony in law enforcement being located in a house of ill repute, they certainly hadn’t told him.

In any case, it was difficult to get too hung up on the law when his own record wasn’t exactly spotless. Not that anyone else in town knew. And he would be the last one to enlighten them. Kissing and telling wasn’t his style - especially not when it might get him hanged. But ever since that night, the memory had never been far from his mind.

Pushing a stack of reports aside, he stared absentmindedly at a map spread out underneath them. A series of crosses marked with dates covered it, tracing a jagged curve across the state.

Akatsuki’s movements.

At first he’d thought if he wrote off the encounter as a one-off occurrence – just an accident, or ironic joke by the world – he’d be able to forget and move on. But the more time that passed, the more he found himself longing to see Akatsuki’s infamous leader again. Not just for another encounter like their last – though he would happily indulge in _that_ pleasure if it were offered – but rather, to have the opportunity to get to know the man behind the dangerous reputation and wanted posters.

At least then, if he turned out to be everything he was meant to be, Kakashi might be able to stop thinking about him.

Stop daydreaming about those wonderfully soft lips, hard sculpted muscles, and long ebony hair. Of how Obito had tasted so sweet, filling Kakashi _perfectly,_ and moving with the kind of expert finesse that had him feeling like he might shatter into a thousand tiny pieces at any moment. Then afterwards, reassembling him with an equally mystifying gentleness, like nothing else in the world had mattered but two of them.

How in that instant, Kakashi had _known_ – with the same certainty he knew the desk in front of him was solid, real, and tangible – that _this_ was what had been missing from his life. 

And that he couldn’t have it.

Vaguely he wondered if that knowledge was killing Obito as much as it was him. Whether somewhere out there in the wilderness, in-between Akatsuki’s various criminal schemes, he too found himself thinking of the sheriff. Because if he did…

The thought alone made Kakashi’s heart skip a beat.

As noise from next-door built to a crescendo, he rose from his seat, grabbing his hat and making for the stairs that led to the parlour. What he needed right now was some fresh air, and a job to take his mind off things. Preferably before he did anything exceedingly stupid.

Like chase down Akatsuki and throw himself straight at its leader. 

***

The northern road out of Konoha climbed steadily up a rocky plateau that overlooked the town, winding back on itself as it curled around wind-carved sandstone outcrops, skeletal trees, and cacti taller than a grown man, fingers reaching towards the endless blue of the desert sky. Kakashi nudged Biscuit up the last of the incline to find Yamato already mounted and waiting for him at the top.

‘Good-afternoon sheriff.’

‘Yamato? I wasn’t expecting you here so early.’

An almost undetectable smile flitted across the deputy’s face, softening his usually serious expression. ‘Since Naruto and Sasuke are taking care of that other job and I had some spare time, I thought I’d take the chance to enjoy the ride,’ he said.

Kakashi nearly chuckled out loud. Yamato enjoy the ride? Horses hated _him_ almost as much as he hated them. Especially Biscuit. Although that wasn’t exactly unique - Biscuit hated nearly everyone except for Kakashi, and sneaking up behind people to bite them when they weren’t looking generally did nothing to endear him to them either.

In any case, he thought it unlikely Yamato had been enjoying the ride. More like he’d been carving again. The deputy had a skilled hand and excellent eye for detail, often spending much of his spare time crafting detailed likenesses of the local fauna - horses excluded. But it was also a pastime he tended to keep to himself, so if he didn’t want to mention it, Kakashi wouldn’t either.

‘It is a nice day for a ride,’ he agreed, falling in next to the man as they made their way toward the cemetery. ‘Are you ready to talk to Kabuto?’

Yamato groaned. ‘Only if he has something more useful to say this time.’

Kakashi gave a wry, half-laugh. ‘Somehow, I doubt that.’

The day Kabuto started being helpful would probably be the same day Guy stopped challenging Kakashi to ridiculous competitions. It was never going to happen. The best they could hope for _this_ time, was to learn something new.

The two men rode the rest of the way to the cemetery in thoughtful silence. At the low fence surrounding the grounds they dismounted, securing the horses and venturing inward. Kabuto was tidying around the graves, pulling weeds and brushing dirt from the simple wooden crosses. He stood as they approached, wearing a guarded expression of surprise.

‘Sheriff. Deputy,’ he said, acknowledging them with a polite tip of his hat. ‘To what do I owe this pleasure?’

‘The unfortunate incident earlier this week,’ Kakashi said. ‘We’re hoping you might be able to shed some more light on the circumstances surrounding the theft of the body.’

The undertaker pushed the bridge of his glasses further up his nose. ‘Of course I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have. But I’m afraid I may not be of much help. I was just as shocked as the rest of the town to learn another body had been taken.’

 _Just like the last two times,_ Kakashi thought. And it might have been plausible the first, or even second time, but a third? It just made him suspicious that behind Kabuto’s outwardly quiet and compliant manner was a man with something to hide.

And apparently Yamato sensed it too.

‘Can you tell us where you were the night the crime occurred?’ the deputy asked. 

‘Of course. I was at home.’

Kabuto’s tone was obliging, but his manner was succinct.

Yamato paused, eyes narrowing ever so slightly before he spoke again. ‘Could you elaborate please?’

‘Well I finished the burial proceedings late that afternoon, then returned to my shop. There was an order for a coffin to attend to, so I spent several hours working on it, took supper and retired to bed. It wasn’t until late the next morning that I was made aware of what had occurred.’

The statement was delivered smoothly, with none of the natural hesitation most people possessed when asked to recall details. Almost like the man had been prepared for it, Kakashi thought.

‘Can anyone confirm your story?’ he asked, watching Kabuto closely.

The undertaker gave a blank disarming smile, spreading his arms wide in an open manner. ‘My neighbours may be able to confirm my movements. Otherwise I’m afraid I was alone that night. A hazard of the profession.’

So once again, no alibi. To say that it was suspicious was an understatement. But what Kakashi didn’t understand, was why a man with bodies already in his possession would go to the trouble of digging up previously buried ones again. Unless it actually wasn't him. Or they were destined for someone _else_.

Feeling like there was an obvious connection somewhere just beyond his grasp, he opened his mouth to respond.

 _Crack_.

He snapped it closed, spinning to face the source of the noise.

_Crack. Crack. Crack._

Gunshots. From Konoha.

His heart thumped in his chest, quickening with every return.

‘Sheriff?’

Kakashi caught Yamato’s wide-eyed meaningful glance with one of his own. ‘I heard it. We’d better go.’ Turning briefly back to the undertaker he warned, ‘We'll have more questions for you later.’

The man watched calmly, still wearing an odd smile without warmth. ‘Of course. I’ll be here.’

Kakashi had no time to ponder its meaning. Already some distance behind Yamato, he leapt into the saddle and spurred Biscuit downhill. Additional shots were still ringing out, barely audible over the blood pounding in his ears. Time seemed to have slowed to a torturous crawl, as though they were riding through treacle. Even at a gallop, mere minutes felt closer to hours before _finally_ , sheriff and deputy skidded to a halt in the main street, hot and breathless.

 _Crack_.

Kakashi’s hat toppled from his head. Throwing himself to the ground, he scrambled to take cover in the narrow alleyway beside the nearest building. A quick glance across the street showed him Yamato had done the same, wedging himself behind a stack of barrels by the saloon. Raucous laughter rang out, and the sheriff chanced a brief look toward its source.

What he saw wasn’t good.

A wagon was parked at the end of the street, next to the bank. Beside it were two very large and burly men; one wielding a rifle and taking haphazard shots into the town, the other loading heavy bags onto the transport. But what really grabbed his attention were the distinctive headdresses both men were wearing. Long-haired with horned protrusions. He cursed.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku – notorious bank robbers dubbed the Gold and Silver Brothers by their admirers – and wanted dead or alive for the sum of two-thousand dollars each.

From what little Kakashi remembered, the younger brother was the mastermind of their schemes and possessed a rather unsavoury fondness for women – particularly of the non-consenting variety. The older brother was the muscle of the duo, with a nasty habit of gutting enemies and leaving them for the scavengers of the desert to dispose of.

Together they’d robbed, raped and murdered their way through at least twenty towns in the last year, appearing seemingly from nowhere and vanishing just as quickly, much to the consternation of law enforcement. And now Kakashi. Because he didn’t have the faintest idea how he was supposed to apprehend them.

Drawing his revolver, he aimed it carefully toward the older brother and squeezed the trigger.

 _Bang_. _Bang!_

Wood chips scattered over his head as he ducked back behind the wall with a frustrated exclamation. From this distance the revolver was as good as useless. About as much help as a chaste whore in a brothel, when what he really needed was the range and accuracy of a rifle.

Which, ironically, was currently locked in his so-called office. In a brothel. And given the situation, it seemed unlikely he’d even make it that far before having some part of his anatomy blown off. Which on the whole, Kakashi considered, would probably be rather unhelpful to resolving the situation at hand.

Without warning something gripped his collar and he yelped, feeling himself pulled backward through a doorway he hadn’t even known he was next to.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ a voice demanded.

Kakashi blinked, eyes slowly adjusting to the relative gloom of the building. Shelves of small glass vials lined the walls, and two pale faces studied him, framed respectively by shoulder length hair in light brown, and a rather unusual pale shade of pink.

‘Rin!’

The dark haired woman broke into a wide smile. ‘You seem to need some help Kakashi.’

‘I…’ he started, intending to argue before thinking the better of it. There was no point trying to hide anything from Rin. ‘You know… I think I do actually,’ he admitted sheepishly. ‘You don’t happen to have a spare rifle lying around do you?’

The pink-haired girl behind Rin giggled as the woman drew herself up to her full height - somewhere around Kakashi’s chin - feigning offense. ‘Do I have a rifle? Kakashi, _really_. I’m a doctor.’

Anyone else might have been fooled by her manner, but Kakashi knew better. ‘Are you _sure_?’ he asked lightly, ‘Can someone so short _really_ be a doctor?’ He held a hand out flat above her head just to emphasise the point.

With an abrupt noise – halfway between a snort and a laugh – Rin swatted it away, eyes creased like she was holding back a smile. ‘Can someone with such a terrible sense of humour really be a sheriff?’ she retorted.

Kakashi shrugged, feeling the corners of his lips already beginning to tug upward. ‘Apparently they can. At least, the mayor seems to think so.’

Rin broke into laughter at that, bright and cheerful, then clapped a friendly hand over Kakashi’s shoulder. ‘Well it's a good thing for you I’m not _just_ a doctor then.’ She turned to her young assistant. ‘Open the emergency cabinet please Sakura. The sheriff needs a rifle. And so do I.’

‘Rin…’ Kakashi complained.

As Sakura disappeared into the back of the surgery, the doctor paced to the window, all five foot-nothing of her radiating calm determination as she peered out of it. ‘Don’t _Rin_ me. You need my help. Where are those two useless deputies of yours anyway?’

Kakashi grappled momentarily with a suitable explanation, then gave up.  

‘They’re finding a cat.’

‘A _cat_?’

‘Look, it’s a long story. And, anyway-’ he set his hands gently onto Rin’s shoulders, ‘would you come away from the window please? You’re going to get yourself shot.’

The woman sighed, but allowed Kakashi to lead her back toward the counter. ‘Who are they?’ she asked, gesturing in the direction of the men by the wagon.

‘Bank robbers. Well known ones. Their bounty is two-thousand each.’

‘Two-thousand!’ Rin exclaimed, eyes suddenly glowing with a wild light Kakashi recognised all too well. ‘Just imagine what I could do for the clinic with _that_.’

She took on the kind of faraway expression that he knew meant she was dreaming of curing the incurable, adopting orphans, and making the clinic expansion she’d been talking about for as long as he’d known her.

‘Maa Rin, they’ve been doing this for years. No-one has got the better of them yet.’

The woman gripped his hands in her own, smiling with complete and utter assurance. ‘That’s because they’ve never met _us_.’

Kakashi wished he shared her confidence.

Sakura re-entered the room with most of a small armoury slung over her shoulder. ‘I know you said you wanted the rifle, but I thought maybe…’

She approached the doctor, holding out a double-barrelled shotgun.

‘Oh, that’s an excellent choice!’ Rin exclaimed, accepting the gun in the same manner as any other women might cradle a child. She quickly distributed the remaining firearms between the party, allowing Sakura to keep a small revolver with a reassuring smile and quiet word.

Then she stood back, a dichotemy of composed violence and feminine elegance in the shirt and trousers she always insisted on wearing – because Rin didn’t believe in dresses, not practical enough she said – and Kakashi was struck by just how much she took after her mentor. Before Tsunade had quit the medical profession anyway. And by the look of it, Sakura was already well along the road to following in her footsteps.

‘Alright, here’s the plan,’ Rin said, drawing them all together, ‘Sakura and I will cause a distraction in the main street and draw their fire, while you sneak up the alley behind the shops. If you can get as far as Ichiraku steakhouse, you should be able to use their porch as cover and get a clean shot off.’

Kakashi stared at the doctor, marvelling at her ability to plan under pressure. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to join law enforcement? You’d make an excellent deputy.’

Rin grinned, firmly prodding him toward the same side-door he’d been dragged in. ‘I’m sure. You break them, I fix them, wasn’t that our agreement? Besides, I’m not playing second-fiddle to anyone. Now get out there and do your best!’

With that Kakashi found himself unceremoniously shoved back into the alleyway. He glanced across to the saloon, finding Yamato’s wide-eyed gaze on him. Holding up his newly acquired rifle he waggled it back and forth, attempting to signal that he was going to proceed around the back of the shops for a better shot, and that the deputy should do the same. Frowning, the man mouthed something completely unreadable in return, pointing down the street.

Kakashi was uncertain whether he’d actually understood or not, but he didn’t have time to lose playing charades or they might miss the opportunity to catch the brothers altogether. Raising his hand in a lazy gesture he intended to mean, ‘ _do what you like then but don’t get yourself killed_ ,’ he turned and proceeded around the corner and into the alley that paralleled the main street. A loud boom followed shortly thereafter, vaguely muffled by the claustrophobic closeness of the buildings around him, then the sound of breaking glass and more shots.

That would be Rin’s distraction.

‘Get the hell out of my town!’ he heard her yell, followed again by the echoing report of a shotgun, and the sharper crack of a revolver.

Where she got her almost unholy love for guns of all shapes and sizes Kakashi had no idea, but the woman was a weapon, that much was certain.

Squeezing through the narrow space of the alley he stepped carefully over foul smelling patches of soil, dove-grey waistcoat rapidly collecting a covering of spiderwebs and unidentifiable black dirt. A pair of rats scattered ahead of him, the noise of their escape masked by the continuing exchange of gunfire on the other side of the buildings.

But as he approached the back of steakhouse, stacked high with wood for the stoves, the air fell worryingly silent. Kakashi picked up his pace, trying to ignore the creeping apprehension in his gut. He knew Rin was brave, that she could handle herself, probably even better than he could. But he still found himself gripping the rifle tightly, just _hoping_ nothing had gone wrong.

Back pressed to the rough-hewn wood of the restaurant, he inched between it and the neighbouring building, peering cautiously around the porch.

One brief glance was enough to tell him things _had_ gone wrong.

Just not in the way he’d thought.

Obviously sick of being shot at, the brothers had pulled a hostage from within the bank; Hiashi Hyūga’s eldest daughter Hinata. It wasn’t hard to see why they’d chosen her either. The poor girl looked terrified, shaking in her fashionable and completely impractical puffed sleeve dress. She was never going to fight back, certainly not with hands bound and a gun to her head.

‘Anyone else feel like taking a shot?’ Kinkaku roared, shaking Hinata roughly. ‘Because if you do, the girl gets it!’

Kakashi felt a cold anger grip him. He was close enough to see the tears rolling down the Hinata’s cheeks - close enough to take the shot with a good chance of success. But chance wasn’t going to cut it here. Because if he missed, or worse still, hit Hinata…

Well, it simply didn’t bear thinking about. There was no choice now but to wait for an opening.

Movement across the street caught his attention. Yamato. The deputy signalled him, asking whether Kakashi was going to shoot. He shook his head, mouthing back, ‘ _It’s too risky, just wait’_. Yamato nodded, eyes glued to the brothers, revolver at the ready.   

Ginkaku threw the last of the bags onto the wagon with a smirk. Approaching his brother, he spoke in a low tone, too quiet to make out what was said. But judging from the unpleasant grin that settled onto the elder’s face, and the cry of alarm it drew from Hinata, it couldn’t possibly be good.

In an slick display of well-practiced coordination, Kinkaku released the girl, simultaneously bringing up his rifle and unleashing several shots into the main street as he vaulted into the seat of the wagon. Ginkaku grabbed Hinata, hefting her into the back of it with ease, before leaping up too, just as his brother whipped the horses into motion. They sped along the street, whooping and shooting into the air, and Kakashi realised with horror what was happening. They were taking the gold, _and_ Hinata.

Judging it was worth the risk, he leaned out, and fired off a shot.

It missed.

Teeth clenched, he sprung from his hiding place and loosed off several more useless rounds into the cloud of dust left in their wake. So much for the plan. Now they’d need to-

‘Sheriff!’

Pounding steps rang out behind Kakashi, followed by a conspicuously heavy thud. The sheriff spun, finding his two youngest deputies entangled in a heap at his feet. To no-one’s surprise, they were arguing loudly.

‘I told you not to run idiot!’

‘I _wasn’t_ running.’

‘Well if you weren’t we wouldn’t have fallen.’

‘We fell because you were too _slow_!’

It didn’t take long for the source of the problem to become clear - the boys had been chained together at the wrists. It would almost have been amusing, Kakashi thought, _if_ it wasn’t so painfully obvious where they’d come from. He groaned, settling a hand over his face.

Rin appeared next to the trio, trailing Biscuit and Yamato’s horse behind her. ‘What happened to you two?’ she asked, ‘Cat get the better of you?’

Sasuke screwed up his nose, staring at a nearby patch of dirt like there was suddenly something incredibly interesting about it. Even Naruto’s face took on an unnaturally fixed smile, reddening as he stammered through nervous laughter.

‘We almost caught it actually! But then those big guys showed up and scared it off, and we thought they looked more important. Like maybe if we caught them, the sheriff might treat us to a steak dinner when he got back! So we snuck into the back of the bank, but I guess we hadn’t counted on there being a-’

Kakashi took a deep breath. Naruto’s explanations had a way of going on, and right now, that was time they couldn’t afford. If they were going to have any chance of catching up to the brothers, they had to leave _now_. When the boy stopped to breathe, he held up his hand for silence.

‘Maa, you were right to try and stop those men. And you can tell me all about it later, maybe even over steak. But right now Yamato and I need to go while we still have the chance to get Hinata back.’

‘Hinata… of course!’ Naruto exclaimed, eyebrows shooting upward, ‘Take me with you sheriff! I’ll be helpful I promise.’

Kakashi sincerely doubted that, especially after today’s efforts. But experience had taught him it was best not to be that blunt with Naruto. Quite aside from the fact he wasn’t actually a bad kid, it only tended to make him even more determined to prove how capable he was.

He shook his head. ‘No. I need to two of you to stay here and protect Konoha. Someone has to look after everyone until we get back, okay?’

Naruto's face broke into a delighted grin. ‘Yessir!’ He attempted to salute, forgetting about the chains binding him to Sasuke, and wrenching roughly at the other boy’s wrists instead. Sasuke scoffed, aiming a sharp kick at the blonde’s calves.

‘Owww, hey!’

As they started arguing again Kakashi turned back to Rin, accepting Biscuit’s reins from her. Yamato was already mounted and holding a newly acquired rifle – Rin’s doing no doubt.

‘I’m ready when you are,’ the deputy said.

Kakashi hooked a foot through Biscuit’s stirrup, hoisting himself easily into the well-worn saddle. He slid the rifle into a purpose made leather holster beside his leg, and wheeled to face the road out of Konoha.

As he did, Rin tugged at his ankle, looking serious. ‘Kakashi... I put a medical kit in your saddlebag, just in case. But please…  be safe. And bring Hinata back.’

He gave her arm a gentle reassuring pat. ‘I will. We’ll be back before you know it. And when we get those men, I promise you’ll have my share of the money for the clinic.’

Rin’s face lit up with a smile like Kakashi had just promised her the world, and she had absolutely no doubt in his ability to deliver it. Wishing for the second time that day he had her confidence, Kakashi flicked the reins.

‘Run Biscuit!’

The world juddered into motion as the horse snorted, hooves pounding at the dirt. Together they swept out of Konoha, following wagon tracks and a cloud of golden dust on the road west. Away from town the desert opened before them, unfurling a vast washed-out patchwork of sage-green shrubs and tan rock that met the far horizon in hazy russet hills. Vultures wheeled lazy circles overhead, riding the midday thermals in search of carrion.

Kakashi drank it all in. The wind in his hair, just cool enough to take the unpleasant edge off the sun’s heat. The grounding rhythm of Biscuit beneath him as they flew across the barren landscape. There was a freedom to it, a wildness that made his heart sing, as though he could just keep riding and never turn back. _This_ was what he’d imagined when he became a sheriff.

Obviously not the _minor_ detail about someone having been kidnapped for it though.

The thought dragged him unpleasantly back to the present. If he was being completely honest, it was clear what the brothers wanted with Hinata. On the upside, it meant they weren’t likely to threaten her life again unless provoked. But it also meant he and Yamato needed to stay on their tail, and not give them the chance to stop. Otherwise…

The deputy pulled up beside Kakashi. ‘Looks like they’re heading for Rain County,’ he observed.

Considering the direction they were travelling, Kakashi was inclined to agree. He hummed thoughtfully. Rain County lay to the west of Konoha - something of a misnomer really, since the place was no wetter than anywhere else. But what it _was_ , was notoriously corrupt. Almost certainly the right place for a pair of bank-robbing criminals to offload a large sum of gold and disappear.

But getting there required crossing the Naka River, deep and swift, and crossings were only possible by one of two methods – either the bridge on the road, or a ford downstream. And with a wagon full of valuables, Kakashi was willing to bet the brothers would take the former. Which opened up a slim chance to catch them, _if_ he and Yamato were fast enough.

The beginning of a plan already forming in his mind, Kakashi turned to the deputy. ‘Alright Yamato. Here’s what we’re going to do.’

***

Kakashi lay on his stomach, angled up the slight incline formed by a shallow depression next to the road. Staring along the iron sights of his rifle he watched the approaching wagon as it sped toward the Naka bridge.

After parting company with Yamato, he’d left the road altogether and ridden hell for leather across open country, using the natural undulations of the land remain out of sight. Over a short distance a mounted rider could easily outpace a laden wagon, and he’d used that to his advantage, fording the river and riding back upstream to reach the far side of the bridge before the brothers did.

Ideally he would have liked to blow it, leaving the men no choice but to attempt the ford or be cornered. But dynamite was still in scarce supply after Naruto and Sasuke’s last little incident, and Kakashi didn’t have any with him. So instead, he was going to have to make do with ambushing the men as they passed by.

If everything went according to plan, Yamato would pursue the wagon, distracting the brothers and driving them straight into the trap. Kakashi would stop them on the far side of the bridge, and together, sheriff and deputy would apprehend them, retrieve the gold, and rescue Hinata.

It sounded simple enough.

But Kakashi felt uneasy. If they failed here there were no other options. The men would escape across the border, and he and Yamato would have no jurisdiction to follow; effectively shackled by law to Konoha. By the time they were able to alert the state marshals, it would be too late for Hinata.

He breathed out slowly, trying not to dwell on it as the wagon began its passage of the slender bridge. Kinkaku held the reins, scanning ahead, while Ginkaku focused his attention on their pursuer. The horses were lathered in sweat and breathing hard as the wagon clattered across the wooden planks, bouncing in a manner that made it very difficult for Kakashi to line up a shot with any level of accuracy.

But it was now or never.

Holding his breath, he squinted down the sights, slowly easing back on the trigger.

 _Crack_.

Kinkaku dropped the reins with a curse, blood blooming visibly across the back of his right hand. Not the best shot Kakashi had ever made, but at least the man would have a hard time putting up a fight with an injury like that. The horses shied at the noise, bucking against their restraints as another shot rang out from behind – Yamato. Ginkaku lashed at them, but spooked, the animals came to a complete and determined stop, tossing their heads and snorting fearfully.

‘Surrender peacefully and you won’t be harmed!’ Kakashi called out.

‘Fuck you!’ Ginkaku spat, leaping from the wagon’s seat and loosing a series of shots in the direction of Kakashi’s voice.

Kakashi ducked, feeling a spray of dirt kick up over his head.

‘If you don’t come out I’ll shoot the girl!’ Ginkaku yelled.

There was a high-pitched scream and the sound of rustling skirts. Kakashi’s heart sank. He should have predicted as much. Rising from behind the bushes, he was confronted with the sight of Hinata restrained in Ginkaku’s grasp once again. But this time, at least, the odds were a little more even.

Kakashi pointed his rifle at Kinkaku, still nursing his bleeding hand in the driver's seat of the wagon. ‘Harm the girl and your brother dies,’ he said calmly. 

Ginkaku’s lip curled into a sneer. ‘Maybe I’ll just shoot you instead,’ he suggested, turning his revolver on the sheriff.

In a flurry of dust Yamato pulled up beside Kakashi, sliding smoothly off his horse and aiming a revolver at the bank robber’s head. ‘Try that and it’ll be the last thing you do.’

The man licked his lips, glancing briefly at his incapacitated brother then back to the lawmen. ‘Well then,’ he said, ‘Seems like we’ve got ourselves an old fashioned standoff.’

‘Seems that way,’ Kakashi agreed.

And he couldn’t see how they were going to resolve it either. Not without somebody ending up dead. Right now, Hinata was the only leverage the brothers had – their only assurance of getting of here alive. They were never going to give her up. And if Kakashi or Yamato tried _anything_ , Ginkaku would have a bullet in her head before either man was able to so much as flex their trigger finger. Unless…

‘An exchange,’ Kakashi suggested impulsively, ‘Me for her.’

Something like scorn flickered across Ginkaku’s face. ‘No deal,’ he said, pulling Hinata tightly against him.

‘What are you doing?’ Yamato muttered, eyes never once leaving the bank robbers.

‘My job,’ Kakashi returned in a whisper. ‘We have to get Hinata back. You _know_ what they’ll do to her otherwise.’

‘I know what they’ll do to _you_.’

Kakashi tried to ignore the emotion in Yamato’s voice. Of course he knew what the men would likely do to him, but he couldn’t very well return to Konoha empty handed, not without having tried _everything_ possible. _‘Better you than her’_ the voice in his head suggested – and he was inclined to agree. No matter what the brothers did to him, he would have a far better chance of escape than Hinata did. And like it or not, dealing with men like this was his job. His _responsibility_.

Shutting out the nervous energy he felt radiating from Yamato, Kakashi locked eyes with Ginkaku, hoping to appeal to the man’s reason. ‘Be logical about this. Either we stay here until your brother bleeds out, or you can accept my offer, and be on your way. All you have to give up is the girl.’

The man laughed brusquely. ‘And I’ve already told you, you can go fuck yours-’

‘We accept.’

Ginkaku’s eyes widened. ‘Brother?’ he asked, glancing briefly sideways.

‘The sheriff is right,’ said Kinkaku, stepping down from the wagon, a wad of bloodied fabric covering his hand. ‘The girl isn’t worth it. We take the deal, run, and live to fight another day. To _fuck_ another day. Besides,’ he added, expression darkening, ‘There’s also the matter of payback. An eye for an eye.’

‘Kakashi…’ Yamato whispered fearfully.

Making a curt noise of annoyance, Ginkaku spat into the dirt. With a clear expression of displeasure he turned back to Kakashi. ‘Fine. It seems you have yourself a deal after all sheriff.’

Beside him, Kakashi heard Yamato gasp.  

***

They bound and gagged him, ankles together, hands tied roughly behind his back. Yamato watched on with wide eyes, assuring him in an uneven voice, 'I'll come back for you’.

‘Don’t be an idiot,’ Kakashi told him, ‘Just get Hinata out of here, and don’t come back.’

The deputy swallowed roughly, looking like there was more he wanted to say, but the noise of a cocking gun made him rapidly reconsider. With an unhappy nod, he disappeared from view, hoofbeats quickly fading into the distance.

Then Kakashi’s world went black. A sack was drawn over his head, and one of the men threw him roughly into the back of the wagon, pausing only to debate whether or not it was worth taking Biscuit – the stallion apparently having wandered up from the riverbank where Kakashi had left him. That dilemma was resolved with a characteristically bad-tempered snort, followed by a cry of pain from one of the brothers.  

‘Fucker bit me!’

‘Leave him then. Let’s go,’ the other said.

Kakashi felt the wagon bounce as the men climbed onto it, taking the time to land a sharp kick to his guts. He curled in on himself, wheezing as raw pain unfurled outward from his stomach.

‘That’s for your horse asshole.’

A whip cracked and the transport began to move, quickly gathering momentum. It juddered over every little bump in the road, bouncing Kakashi uncomfortably between hard objects in the tray until he finally managed to wedge himself between a few lumpy things that felt like they might be bags of gold. But they also dug into his ribs, and when he tried to move, he found the rope around his wrists had restricted blood flow to his hands, resulting in an unpleasant prickling sensation throughout his fingers.

Just a taste of what was to come.

Within the first hour, he had shooting pains in his neck with every minor undulation the wagon traversed. By the second, he just hurt _everywhere_. Early afternoon – by his estimate – the air in the sack became as hot as a furnace. Kakashi’s head throbbed, and he kept his mouth as tight as possible around the gag, hoping to conserve what little moisture it had left. He felt like he was slowly suffocating. And if he didn’t suffocate, he’d almost certainly die of dehydration before the brothers had a chance to do any of the horrific things they were talking about.

Tying him to the train tracks seemed to be a frontrunner, along with gutting, and drowning. Personally Kakashi was all for drowning – if he had to die anyway. Pressing cracked lips together, he imagined the feel of fresh cold water against his skin. Maybe it was just what being delirious felt like, but drowning _almost_ sounded appealing right now.

Then before he knew it the air was cooling - taking on the still quality it always had in the early evenings, when the ambient noise of the desert quietened and the heat of the day faded. As the wagon finally ground to a halt, Kakashi knew it was time to face his fate.

They pulled the bag off his head, revealing a magnificent sunset streaked sky, burning bright across the sombre waters of a lake. Drowning it was then. Kakashi steeled himself for it. Dying really hadn’t been on his agenda today, but it didn’t look like he’d be escaping from it this time. No Obito to kiss and charm into letting him go. 

And if he had one regret about his life, that had to be it. More than anything else, he wished he’d had the chance to see the man again. Everything else he could live with – Rin’s anguish when she found out he was gone, the way Yamato would doubt and blame himself for it, even leaving Konoha in the care of Naruto and Sasuke – because he knew he’d done everything he could.  

But never knowing if the night he and Obito had shared could have become something more… Well, that _hurt_. It was far too late to be realising it now, but he’d been a colossal idiot not to go after the outlaw when he had the chance.

A hand gripped Kakashi’s head, yanking it upward, and sinking the tip of a long blade into the skin above his left eye.

‘An eye for an eye sheriff,’ Kinkaku sneered, slipping the knife slowly downward. ‘Just like a scarecrow. And that’s all you’ll be good for when I’m finished with you.’

So not drowning after all. Kakashi fell to the ground with a ragged gasp, right eye already beginning to blur with tears. The left he kept firmly shut, cut burning like a fresh brand as blood trickled down his cheek and into the dirt.

‘Stop wasting time brother,’ Ginkaku snapped, pacing and shooting an agitated glance at the horizon. ‘Just throw him in the lake and be done with it. There’s someone out there.’

A growl tore itself from Kinkaku’s throat. ‘I’ll take as much time as I like! I’m gonna gut this one nice and slow for what he did to my hand. You’re just being paranoid.’

Shaking with frustration, the younger man grabbed his brother, forcing him to look at something Kakashi couldn’t see. ‘I’m telling you, that’s a rider! And no one would be out this far unless they were following us. So if you won’t leave, I _will_. I’m not risking getting caught again.’

Kinkaku clenched his good fist tightly, a vein throbbing in his temple. His manner reminded Kakashi of a coiled spring – one slight nudge in the wrong direction and it might fly off uncontrollably.  

‘Come _on_ ,' Ginkaku entreated. 'Just let me get rid of him and we’ll go see the old woman on the way to Suna. Get that hand fixed up. There’ll be someone else to gut another day.’

With a frustrated sigh, Kinkaku nodded. Grinning unpleasantly, his brother approached Kakashi, hefting him easily over a shoulder and traversing the short distance to the water’s edge.

‘End of the line sheriff,’ he said grimly. 

Still bound and gagged, Kakashi had no reply. 

They were standing atop a small rocky outcrop that overlooked a particularly dark patch of water. Ginkaku's manner now seemed tense and harried. Whoever was out there, he seemed to genuinely believe they were coming to get him. And they probably _were_ – outlaws did have a way of attracting opportunistic bounty hunters like rotting meat attracted flies. But that still didn’t help Kakashi. Because no bounty hunter in their right mind would pass up an opportunity to catch their target in favour of saving _his_ life.

The last rays of the setting sun ignited the sky in flame. _Not a bad last view,_ he thought. But it was all too brief.

Grunting with the effort, Ginkaku swung him out over the lake. 

Kakashi hit the water with a painful smack, sinking like lead weight, unable to even struggle. With the rope restraining his limbs, he simply never had a chance. And as the lake closed in over his head, the last thing he heard was laughter.

Then nothing but the quiet stillness of impending death.


	2. An Unexpected Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're a fan of listening to music while you read, my pick for this au is Short Change Hero by The Heavy. It just suits really well.

Kakashi sank quickly to the bottom of the lake.

Darkness closed in around him, vision dimming as he counted down the seconds to the inevitable. But just as he gave in to the irresistible need to _breathe_ , opening himself to the water, to nothingness-

He felt himself being dragged upward.

The water lightened, and as his head broke the surface he gasped in a lungful of air, spluttering, and feeling like his chest was on fire.

Had Yamato found his way out here already? Surely that wasn’t possible…

Whoever it was held Kakashi in a comfortable grasp, swimming with powerful strokes toward the shore. He fell limply against them, unable to fight, and content to go wherever he was taken.

On reaching the lake’s edge, warm hands cut the rope around his wrists and ankles and slid it off, removing the gag from his mouth. Kakashi rolled onto all fours, coughing up the remainder of the water he’d swallowed, and collapsing into the dirt, eyes closed, taking gloriously deep breaths.

He didn’t think he’d ever been more grateful to be alive. His head was reeling – from oxygen deprivation, from surprise, and from the sheer fact he was still here _breathing_ when he should have been _dead_ …

Feeling the sting of the cut over his eye, he raised his fingers to it, only to be rewarded with a sharp lance of pain.

‘I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,’ a voice said.

Kakashi’s good eye flew open. There was an unrecognisable dark shape crouched next to him. But the voice was unmistakeably, sarcastically, familiar.

‘You seem to have a knack for getting captured _sheriff_ ,’ it said.

Heart pounding for far more reasons than just his near-death experience, he swallowed a ragged breath. It might have just been the way his vision was still hazy from the lack of oxygen, but a face appeared to be floating in the dusk in front of him – pale and framed by a tangled ebony mane that was still dripping.

Barely daring to believe it, and nearly forgetting to breathe all over again, he reached out, cupping his palm around the uneven jagged scars of the man’s face. It was every bit as beautiful as he remembered, and there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

‘Obito…’ he breathed.

For an all-too-brief moment the outlaw allowed the touch, almost leaning into it, expression unreadable. ‘Hello Kakashi.’

Hand trembling, Kakashi grappled with the complete mess that was his feelings. Now that Obito was right in front of him, he didn’t know what to do. He knew what he _wanted_ to do. But throwing his arms around the outlaw and confessing he’d been on Kakashi’s mind every day since they parted seemed like it might be a bit much. There was no telling how the man might react, even if Kakashi hoped his being here was a sign that the feeling might be at least a little bit mutual. If it was though, he couldn’t tell. Obito’s expression was the definition of poker-face.

‘What are you doing out here?’ Kakashi asked unsteadily.  

‘I could ask you the same thing.’

‘I exchanged myself for a hostage. I didn’t think they’d kill me for it. Not so quickly anyway.’

It sounded incredibly stupid now that he’d said it out loud.

Obito let out a derisive snort, looking like he thought very little of Kakashi’s judgement. ‘I should’ve known you’d have a martyr complex.’

He stood up, saying no more, and Kakashi heard the soft swish of a horse’s tail, followed by the jangle of a buckle. Then he returned with a bandage, helping Kakashi sit up, and wrapping it gently around his damaged eye.

He was exactly as Kakashi remembered – dressed in dark colours and well-worn clothing that gave the impression he’d just rolled out of bed, or travelled halfway across the continent in it. At a glance, Kakashi could see at least three knives on his person, as well as a pair of very pretty revolvers holstered in his leather belt. The same pair he remembered from their first meeting in fact, with ivory grips and flowing engraving over the body and barrel - though thankfully not pointed at him this time.

Everything about Obito radiated danger, trouble, and a kind of roguish charm that Kakashi found completely irresistible. Like a moth to a flame, he just couldn’t bring himself to look away. There was so much he could say, _wanted_ to say, but the words felt like they were tripping over themselves and what came out wasn’t even close to what he meant.

‘You’re not going to shoot me this time?’

Obito made a contemptuous noise, tying off the bandage with a sharp tug. ‘You really think I’d go to the trouble of saving you only to shoot you?’

Kakashi cringed. ‘I suppose not.’

‘You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.’

The words suggested insult, but they were spoken like an endearment. Kakashi couldn’t help a small smile as the outlaw stood up again, feeling a surge of warm feelings rush through his chest.

‘You missed me.’

‘I did not.’

‘Liar.’

Obito walked a dappled grey mare toward him, offering a hand to help him up. ‘Funny thing,’ he said dryly, ‘I don’t remember asking for your opinion. And as it happens, I don’t care what you think.’

Kakashi accepted the hand, a smart reply nearly on the tip of his tongue.

‘You know what _I_ think though?’ Obito murmured suddenly, tugging him closer.

‘What?’ he asked, breathless and hopeful.

The outlaw leaned forward, hovering his mouth over Kakashi’s ear. ‘I think _you_ missed _me_ ,’ he whispered, drawing back just far enough for Kakashi to see the smirk on his face, ‘I think there aren’t enough outlaws in your life _sheriff_. That you like the excitement.’

A shiver ran up Kakashi’s spine, because he wasn’t entirely wrong. Despite everything, today _had_ been exciting. And as for seeing Obito again, well – he’d been imagining that ever since they parted company a few months ago. Wishing desperately for another night like the one they'd shared.

The outlaw’s eyes were locked to his, half-lidded and dark, with less than a hand’s width separating them. More than anything else, Kakashi wanted to lean forward and press his lips to Obito’s. But he held back, still unsure whether it would be welcome or not.

With a knowing chuckle Obito slid his fingers under Kakashi’s chin, gaze resting on the expression that had obviously just betrayed him.

‘I’m flattered sheriff, truly. But I don’t think I’m your type. I’ll just disappoint you.’

Kakashi made a noise of protest at that. Obito had saved his life. He wanted to argue, to tell him just how much he absolutely _was_ Kakashi’s type, and anything but a disappointment. But before he could, the outlaw placed his hands firmly on his shoulders, spinning him to face the horse beside them.

‘Now get on. You’re going back to Konoha.’

Kakashi’s heart sank. ‘But-’

‘I have a job to do sheriff, and the last thing I need is to be minding someone who might shoot me in the back while I do it.’

‘I wouldn’t-’

‘Wouldn't turn me in if you got the chance? Forgive me, but I have a hard time believing that. It is how we met after all.’

He was wrong… Or rather, Kakashi _wanted_ him to be wrong. Despite what duty might require him to do, he wasn’t about to turn on a man who had saved his life. But something told him arguing about it now wouldn’t change Obito’s mind. There would be time for that later, during the lengthy ride back to Konoha.

Pulling himself onto the horse, Kakashi felt the outlaw climb up behind him. Sore and bruised from jolting about in a wagon all day, he struggled to get comfortable. It felt like someone had beaten his insides, and as the horse began to move, the saddle dug sharply into his groin. Shifting his weight from side to side didn’t help, so he tucked his hands under his thighs in an attempt to cushion the jolts.

It was going to be one hell of an unpleasant ride, but he knew he should probably just be grateful that Obito wasn’t leaving him out here to die. Without a horse it would have been nearly impossible to get back to Konoha, and it was anyone’s guess what had happened to Biscuit.

As he wriggled again, pondering the horse’s fate, an arm slipped around his waist, sliding him back between firm thighs and against a warm chest. ‘Stop fidgeting,’ a husky voice breathed into his ear.

Kakashi melted instantly, settling into the embrace.

They were both still soaking wet, but the night wasn’t cold, and pressed together like this it was just pleasant. Between the rhythmic sway of the horse’s steps, and the arm Obito had chosen to leave around his waist, he quickly found himself fighting against sleep.

It was quiet in the desert, the only sounds the clopping of the horse’s hooves as it picked its way over the rocky terrain, and the occasional lone coyote howl. Kakashi allowed his mind to wander over the events of the day. By now Yamato would be back in Konoha, returning Hinata to her family and informing the town of the sheriff’s capture. Would they send out a search party to try and find him?

 _Unlikely_ , he thought.

No doubt his second-in-command would want to, but Konoha had limited resources. There was no point sending them on a wild goose chase after someone who any reasonable person would assume to be dead. Realistically, the most they could do was inform the local marshals and hope for the best. Kakashi really had been incredibly fortunate Obito had happened to be in the right place at the right time to rescue him.

Although… he was still curious about why that was.

Outlaws tended to stay well clear of each other unless they were part of a gang, like Akatsuki. Too much risk of being sold out Kakashi guessed, especially for someone with a bounty the size of Obito’s on their head. And though it wasn’t unheard of for outlaws to hunt each other to claim the cash, as far as he knew that wasn’t the business Akatsuki were in.

Clearing his throat, he asked quietly, ‘Why were you tracking the brothers?’

There was a careful pause before Obito answered. ‘They were in Akatsuki territory.’

Kakashi stiffened. Because if they were in Akatsuki territory that meant-

The man behind him scoffed like it was obvious. ‘Why do you think Konoha is so quiet? It’s because we scare off the competition.’ His fingers tightened their grip on the reins. ‘And we’re going to teach them a lesson they won’t forget for this.’

Something about the way he said it led Kakashi to think the worst. Although Obito might seem gentle with him, he was still an outlaw, and not one of the small-time ones. You didn’t get a bounty the size of Obito’s for just stealing a few horses.

‘If you’re going after them we have a mutual interest,’ Kakashi said, hoping he was wrong. Not wanting to believe the man he’d spent the night with was truly responsible for everything he’d heard.

‘Do we?’ Obito asked.

‘I want to capture them too.’  

The outlaw laughed coldly at that, as good as confirming Kakashi’s worst fears.

‘Who said anything about _capture_? I have a reputation to maintain after all.’

Kakashi tried not to shrink away. He should have known better than to expect anything less from the leader of Akatsuki after all.

As a gang they had a pretty solid reputation for murder. And not just the usual methods either – he’d heard of cases where they’d strung victims up, beat them senseless, or dragged them behind horses in full gallop. At least one of the members must have had quite sadistic tendencies to want to do that, and Kakashi knew from experience that whoever led usually set the tone for the entire group.

He would never have let any of his deputies do anything like that - the very idea was offensive to the concept of justice. It was one thing to shoot someone in the heat of a gun fight; quite another to torture or kill them in cold blood like Akatsuki did. Kakashi couldn’t help but feel sorry for the brothers if Obito actually did catch up with them.

As though sensing his discomfort Obito leaned forward, tightening the arm around his waist and speaking in a low mocking drawl. ‘Do I scare you?’

 _A little_ , was the honest answer. But at the same time Kakashi _knew_ his life wasn’t in any danger. He couldn’t explain how, because it was more like vague feeling than anything substantial. But even the knowledge that Obito wasn’t denying any of the things he’d done didn’t put him off as much as it should.

‘No,’ he lied.

The outlaw snorted, returning both hands to the reins. ‘Then you have worse judgement than I thought.’

They rode in silence for a while and Kakashi considered his options. Return to Konoha where there was a good chance he’d find himself on the opposite end of a gun to Obito sooner or later. Which, if it happened, would leave him no choice in his actions.

Or, if he could convince the man it was worth working together, they might be able to get ahead of whatever the brothers were planning. The men _had_ let slip where they were going after all, and Kakashi guessed that was one piece of information even Obito didn’t have. Which gave him a chance - however slim - to see them delivered safely to justice, rather than whatever Akatsuki had planned for them.

The difficulty with the second option however, lay in convincing _himself_ that his reasoning was based on logic, not just a desire to spend more time with an unreasonably attractive murderer. 

Kakashi twisted in the saddle to face the outlaw. ‘I want to come with you.’

‘What?’

Obito sounded exasperated, but Kakashi was determined not to give up. If a near-death experience had taught him anything, it was that the outlaw wasn’t getting rid of him so easily this time.  

‘If you take me back to Konoha I’ll have to stay there. But I don’t want to sit around doing nothing. I want a chance to go after the brothers. With you.’

‘I already told you no.’

It was the answer Kakashi had expected. He waited a moment, then revealed what he hoped was his trump card.

‘I can tell you where they’re going next.’

The man behind him fell silent. But Kakashi could feel him shift in the saddle, and knew he’d at least got his attention.

‘How?’ Obito asked, eventually.

‘They were talking about it before they threw me in that lake. I don’t suppose they thought I’d be around to tell anyone.’

With an impatient click of his tongue, Obito brought the horse to a standstill. ‘Alright, I’m listening.’

‘First you have to agree to let me come with you.’ 

‘Even _if_ I were to agree to any such thing, how could I be certain you wouldn’t just betray me at the first possible opportunity?’

It was a fair question, and one Kakashi didn’t really have a good answer for. ‘The same way I’m trusting you not to shoot me,’ he said, shrugging.

Everything about Obito’s expression suggested he was unconvinced. But at the sound of hoofbeats in the distance he looked up, distracted. Kakashi followed his gaze to find two riders closing in on them at a fair rate – friend or foe, he wasn’t certain. But it wasn’t going to take long before they found out.

Indecision flitting across his face, Obito glanced back to him. Then with a grimace he sighed, resting a hand ominously over one of his guns.

‘Fine. But try anything funny and I will shoot you. I really mean it this time.’

Kakashi nodded, trying to look like he was taking the threat a lot more seriously than he actually was. After all, it hadn’t exactly worked out as planned the last time the outlaw made it…

An irrepressible lightness seemed to be spreading throughout his chest at the idea that Obito was actually letting him stay. It was second chance. The opportunity Kakashi had been hoping for to understand what had drawn them so irresistibly together that night in complete defiance of common sense, and their respective positions in life. 

Of course he knew Obito’s decision was probably down to logic more than anything else. Having him tag along meant he couldn’t give a false tip and lead them into a trap. Not unless he wanted to incriminate himself too.

But Kakashi really wanted to believe that wasn’t the _only_ reason.

The riders were closing in on them now, and since Obito wasn’t running or drawing his guns, Kakashi guessed they must be known to him.

Which meant Akatsuki.

And _that_ was a whole new and unsettling prospect.

A hand reached to the front of his waistcoat, deftly unclipping his sheriff’s badge and pocketing it. ‘I’ll take this for now,’ Obito murmured, so low only Kakashi could hear. ‘Just follow my lead, and try not to say anything stupid.’

With that, he wheeled his horse to face the two people pulling up beside them.

Rin would have been proud of the woman Kakashi thought. She was dressed in pants and a stylish waistcoat, with a revolver at her waist and a rifle slung over her back. Delicate features belied a serious manner, giving the distinct impression she wasn’t the sort of person you’d want to pick a fight with. Or that if you did, you’d very quickly end up at the bottom of a ravine, with a bullet through some vitally important part of your anatomy.   

The man on the other hand, was tall and lightly built, with sunken cheeks and a distinctive head of vibrant red hair. He had a slow and ponderous quality to his movements, with a softly spoken tone that lent him an incongruously gentle air.

‘Evening Tobi,’ he said, inclining his head politely toward Obito.

The woman fixed Kakashi with a calculating narrow-eyed expression that made him squirm.

‘You didn’t catch them then?’ she asked Obito bluntly, giving the sheriff the distinct impression that his presence was unwelcome. 

Obito leaned back in the saddle, stretching out and sounding completely at ease. ‘Hello to you too Konan. And no, they got away.’

Konan’s eyes flickered from Kakashi to Obito, but he still got the distinct sensation of being watched regardless.

‘You’ve picked up a stray too,’ she observed.

Obito didn’t miss a beat. Settling a hand onto Kakashi’s shoulder, he explained, ‘This is Kakashi, an acquaintance of mine. Kakashi, Konan and Nagato.’

‘Hi,’ Kakashi said, waving politely and wondering if the atmosphere could possibly feel any more loaded - like a keg of black powder next to an uncontrolled fire.

‘Kakashi knows where the brothers are headed next,’ Obito continued, ‘So he’s going to accompany us while we tail them.’

Nagato gave a friendly nod of acknowledgement, but Kakashi felt like there was an entire conversation being conducted solely in meaningful looks between Konan and Obito. One concerned with ‘ _who the fuck is he and what is he doing here?’_

Trying not to be intimidated by it, he let his gaze wander. It settled on a very familiar horse he hadn’t previously noticed, roped to Konan’s.

‘Biscuit!’ he exclaimed happily.

All three gang members stopped what they were doing and stared at him like he’d suddenly gone mad.

‘Uh, my horse,’ he explained, pointing at the animal who was trying to sidle around Nagato’s mount to reach his owner.

‘Your horse is called Biscuit?’ Obito asked, clearly unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

Kakashi suddenly realised this was probably just the sort of stupid thing Obito hadn’t wanted him to say. Acutely aware he had the attention of three very dangerous people focused entirely on him, he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. ‘Well he um, likes eating biscuits. You know… bread. Has ever since he was a foal.’

Konan breathed out slowly, looking like her patience was hanging by a thread. She gave Obito a pointed stare as if to say _‘I told you so.’_

For his part, Obito delivered a not-so-subtle kick to Kakashi's ankle. He snapped his mouth shut, feeling more out of place than Yamato at a polo match - something he had actually seen - and although utterly hilarious, it had also been an unmitigated disaster. Not quite what he was hoping for from the present situation.     

‘Where did you find him?’ Obito asked the other gang members.

‘Wandering near the Naka bridge,’ Nagato replied. ‘We were going to take him, but I suppose your friend will want him back.’

He untied the horse and handed the reins back to Kakashi. Biscuit ambled over, nosing hopefully at the sheriff’s pockets as though a treat might be forthcoming. When it became apparent none were, he huffed and turned to Obito, trying the same thing.

‘Well, what’s the plan then?’ Konan asked.

Obito scratched the horse’s forehead absentmindedly. From the crunching noise Kakashi could hear, it was obvious the outlaw had found something for him to eat. ‘We pack up camp and go after them.’

‘Tonight?’

‘No, next week. Of course tonight.’

Konan gave him a hard look, then shook her head. ‘We all want to catch them Tobi, but we’ve been riding all day. The horses need rest.’

‘Fine. Tomorrow morning then,’ Obito conceded with a sigh that reminded Kakashi of the way he always gave in to Rin’s requests.

‘And where will we be going?’ the woman asked, turning her attention back to him. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly. ‘The brothers said they’re riding for Suna. But they mentioned visiting an old woman on the way. Someone who could patch up the hand I shot earlier today.’

There was an awkward silence between the group Kakashi didn’t understand.

‘Granny Chiyo,’ Konan said.

‘Sasori’s not going to like this,’ Nagato warned quietly.

At Kakashi’s back, Obito shrugged. ‘If that’s where they’ve gone, that’s where we’re going. Sasori’s just going to have to deal with it.’

***

The ride to Akatsuki’s camp took just over hour. During it, Konan kept casting suspicious glances Kakashi’s way, as though she hoped he might be doing something that would give her cause to shoot him. When no such opportunity presented itself, she eventually drew Obito into an in-depth conversation, riding ahead, and leaving the sheriff to make polite small talk with Nagato.

The red-head was much friendlier than Konan, and Kakashi found the time passed quickly. Before he knew it they had reached the camp - a circle of mismatched triangular canvas tents around a fire. As they approached, the gang members sitting around it looked up with interest, and a couple more emerged from tents to see what all the noise was about.

Kakashi instantly recognised Deidara – the young blond who was responsible for a number of explosive incidents that made Naruto and Sasuke’s efforts with the sheriff’s office look like a match next to a bonfire – and Kakuzu, a well-known bank robber and safecracker, reputed to be covered in disturbing tattoos that made it appear as if his body had been ripped apart and stitched back together again. 

Then there was Itachi… because what gang would have been complete without a fast-shooting, family-slaughtering maniac?

If Sasuke had problems – and Kakashi was in no doubt he did – they could almost all be laid squarely at Itachi’s feet. The older brother who, seemingly on nothing more than a whim, had murdered the entire Uchiha family down to every last man, woman, and child - except for Sasuke, who he’d left alive to discover the mess. That was bound to screw any kid up.

But those were just the members Kakashi recognised. All of them looked intimidating, dangerous, and armed to the teeth. And all of them were staring at directly at _him_.

Dismounting, Obito motioned over a short red-head, who he introduced as Sasori. Indicating Kakashi, he instructed the man to tend to the sheriff’s eye, adding rather ominously, ‘and don’t poison him’.

Sasori sighed, expression either bored or disappointed - Kakashi couldn’t tell and wasn’t entirely sure he actually wanted to know – and disappeared into a tent, returning shortly afterward with a small box that clinked in a concerning manner.

As Konan, Nagato and Obito led the horses away, Sasori made Kakashi sit on a log by the fire. He slowly peeled the bandages from his head, considering the cut. After pressing around its extremities, he opened the box beside him, rifling through dark vials and all manner of odd implements that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a museum of macabre curiosities.

One by one, the remaining gang members seated themselves nearby, viewing Kakashi with a kind of relaxed curiosity. The two members he wasn’t immediately familiar with introduced themselves as Hidan and Kisame – the former an obnoxiously loud man with a strange talisman around his neck, the latter a monster of a man with disturbingly sharp teeth.

‘Have you ever been to the sea?’ Kisame asked Kakashi.

Kakashi frowned _. Was that supposed to be a trick question? Or a test?_

‘I was born in a city next to the sea,’ he offered tentatively, after a significant pause.

Kisame grinned rather alarmingly at that. ‘Were there sharks? I’ve always wanted to see one,’ he said, eyeing Kakashi enthusiastically, as though he might be able to suddenly produce one from under his shirt.

‘I don’t remember sorry. I was very young when I left.’

‘Oh shut up Kisame. No one cares about your sharks,’ Hidan interrupted, shoving his face right up to Kakashi’s. ‘What I want to know is if he’s a believer.’

‘A believer of what?’ Kakashi asked, looking around at the other men.

There was a chorus of groans, and Deidara slapped his palm onto his face. ‘You’ve done it now,’ he said.

With a gleeful cackle Hidan draped an arm around Kakashi’s shoulders, staring at him like a cat offered fresh milk. ‘A believer in voodoo of course! In the spirit Jashin who curses heathens and disbelievers, and grants strength to his faithful disciples. Who strikes down our enemies and bathes in their blood! And all he asks is that we pay for blood with blood-’

Suddenly Kakashi had the uncomfortable feeling he might have discovered the source of Akatsuki’s more disturbing killings. And it wasn't being made any better by Hidan’s concerning lack of clothing. Quite honestly, the only shirtless man Kakashi really wanted anywhere near him was Obito - not a questionably sane homicidal cultist with a penchant for blood.   

Thankfully Sasori came to his rescue.

‘Get off my patient you nut job,’ he ordered, pushing Hidan away, much to the other man’s chagrin and everyone else’s amusement.

But Kakashi’s gratitude was short-lived when Sasori began to dab some sort of foul-smelling concoction around his eye.

Hadn’t Obito said something about poisoning?

‘You’re lucky,’ the short man said, ‘Any deeper and you might have lost this eye. Though I can’t say for sure if your vision will be affected. We won’t know until the cut heals enough for you to open it. In the meantime the salve will stop any infections.’

‘Are you sure you don’t want me to sew it up?’ Kakuzu asked, looking hopeful.

Kisame laughed. ‘Heh, why? You want him to look like you?’

The safecracker tilted his head, considering it. ‘I suppose I _could_ make that work…’

‘That won't be necessary Kakuzu,’ Sasori said, much to Kakashi’s relief. ‘Stitches would only make the scarring worse.’ He finished wrapping a bandage over the cut, and snapped the lid of his medical box shut.

‘Thank you,’ Kakashi said.

The risk of poisoning aside, he _was_ genuinely grateful to have his injury seen to by someone who appeared to have some degree of medical knowledge.

Sasori nodded curtly. ‘I’ll change the dressings once a day. And make sure you don’t get them wet.’

With that seen to, the group sat back, chatting comfortably amongst themselves as Itachi stirred a pot over the fire. None of them seemed inclined to give a second thought to the stranger in their midst, though Kakashi supposed that having Obito’s approval legitimised his presence as far as they were concerned.

He stretched out by the fire, relishing its warmth on his damp clothes, and feeling like he was in some sort of surreal dream. If someone had told him at breakfast where he’d end up by dinner, he wouldn’t have believed them. Not even _close_.

As the remaining gang members returned from tending the horses, Kakashi found his eye drawn to Nagato. Compared to Konan beside him, the quietly-spoken man walked with a considerable limp, like his right leg was oddly twisted. And when he sat down by the fire, he held it out stiffly, bending and carrying his weight with the left leg, and lowering himself the final distance using his arms.

It wasn’t something Kakashi had noticed when they’d been on horseback. But from the man’s movements now, it seemed like a fair bet he had a leg brace on. Which was… surprising.

Less so for the injury itself, and more the fact it seemed strange for a group of feared outlaws to count a disabled man among their number. None of the wanted posters had mentioned _that_.

But if Kakashi was learning anything tonight, it was to expect the unexpected.

He accepted a bowl of meat stew from Itachi - psychopath and apparent gang cook. It was hot and tasty, and Kakashi was forced to admit that whatever the man’s other transgressions, he obviously knew his way around a good meal.

As the gang tucked in, Obito arrived, draping himself languidly over the log opposite Kakashi. Looking completely at ease, he rested his arms behind his head, stretching out in a way that made the curve of his biceps underneath his shirt _very_ noticeable.

Kakashi found himself staring. It wasn’t really his fault Obito was so attractive, with his dark eyes, and muscles, and the way the corners of his lips curved upward like-

 _Oh_.

Like he’d seen Kakashi looking.

Dropping his gaze to his bowl, Kakashi felt his cheeks growing warm.

‘So Kakashi,’ Deidara said, completely oblivious, ‘How do you know Obito?’

Kakashi glanced nervously at Obito, hoping he might want to take the lead on this question. But the outlaw seemed determined not to be helpful. Instead, he just watched closely, with something like amusement on his face. _Bastard._

Kakashi cleared his throat. ‘He helped me a few months ago. With um… a hostage situation.’

There was a snort from across the campfire, like someone choking on their dinner, and Kakashi couldn’t help but look to its source. One corner of Obito’s mouth was quirked up in amusement.

‘I suppose you _could_ say that,’ he agreed amiably.

It was like a secret shared between the two of them – an in-joke the rest of Akatsuki didn’t quite get. But Kakashi was just happy to see Obito smiling. The outlaw hadn’t exactly seemed pleased to see him tonight. Not displeased either, just… unreadable – and it made him question whether or not he was truly welcome here.

‘A hostage situation?’ Kisame asked, glancing between the two men like he didn’t understand. ‘What happened?’

How exactly was Kakashi supposed to answer _that_ without revealing the truth? Because, ‘ _I slept with your boss and he let me go_ ’ seemed like a response liable to go horribly wrong.

He wracked his brain. ‘Well,’ he said slowly, ‘It was life or death. And for a while, things seemed to be quite hopeless...’

‘But,’ Obito added unexpectedly, with a wolfish grin his way, ‘Kakashi can be a very persuasive negotiator.’

_Oh, so that was how this was going to go?_

Kakashi held his gaze, gaining confidence. ‘And Obito knows how to handle himself.’

‘So after some… friendly _discussion_ … we worked together.’

‘And _came_ to a solution.’

‘That was mutually _satisfying_.’

‘A happy ending,’ Kakashi said, smiling pointedly at Obito.

The outlaw’s eyes were locked to him, following his every movement with an almost hungry look. And god help him if Kakashi didn’t just want to drag Obito into the nearest tent _right now_ , strip off his clothes, and do it all over again.

Deidara frowned, fork halfway to his mouth. ‘So did you free the hostages or what?’

‘What do you think they’ve just been talking about?’ Kakuzu said, shoving him.

Konan just rolled her eyes at them all.

***

After dinner Obito stood with a yawn, disappearing into his tent and returning with a bedroll and some spare clothes which he threw to Kakashi. ‘Here you go. The shirt might be a bit big on you, but at least it’s dry.’

Kakashi caught them, unfurling the bedroll next to the fire, and gratefully changing out of his damp attire.  

‘Are you turning in already Tobi?’ Itachi asked.

Obito nodded, already halfway back to his tent. ‘We ride at dawn, and I don’t plan to do it tired.’

‘He needs his beauty sleep,’ someone remarked sarcastically.

‘Who are you kidding? Apart from Kakuzu he’s the ugliest motherfucker here.’

‘I heard that Hidan,’ Obito said wryly.

‘If anyone needs beauty sleep it’s Deidara. Someone might mistake him for a man otherwise.’

Everyone laughed - except for blond, who looked like he’d happily murder someone.

‘Hey fuck you! It’s not my fault people make assumptions. And the next time you call me a woman I’m going to put a stick of dynamite up your-’

‘Bed,’ Konan ordered firmly.

The group fell silent. Then slowly, everyone started to gather their things, grumbling quietly.

They bickered like a family. Or at least, what Kakashi imagined a family might bicker like, since it wasn’t as though he’d ever actually had one.  

‘Hey Kakashi,’ Obito called, head stuck halfway through the flap of his tent.

Kakashi looked up, heart leaping in hope that this might mean what he thought it did. Because when the man had thrown him a spare bedroll, he’d assumed he would be sleeping outside. And although he didn’t exactly object, he knew where he’d much _rather_ be.

‘Look out for Zetsu.’

That was… not what he was hoping for.

‘Zetsu?’ he asked, confused.

‘Yeah. Small guy, strange eyes. You’ll know him when you see him.’

With that Obito disappeared into his tent and Kakashi found himself alone by the embers of the dying campfire, wondering exactly what it was about Zetsu he should be looking out for. 

It had been a completely unbelievable day, if not quite the reunion Kakashi had been imagining. But he supposed he probably shouldn’t expect Obito to be the same person with his whole gang around him. Vaguely he wondered if they were even aware of the man’s taste in bed partners. It was something Kakashi himself chose to keep within a small, trusted, circle of friends. He wasn’t sure what the rest of the town would think if they knew, and telling the wrong person could still see you shot on the spot in some places.

Just one of the reasons he had been so surprised by Obito’s reaction that night.

He glanced toward the man’s tent, quiet and still amongst the rest. No sign he was welcoming Kakashi as anything other than tolerated tag-along, useful for the information he provided. Disappointing, but ultimately Kakashi was too tired to dwell on it. Perhaps he could talk to Obito about it tomorrow. Closing his eye, he let sleep overcome him.


	3. Akatsuki

Early birdsong carried through the Akatsuki camp, and Kakashi stirred under his blanket. Even with one eye bandaged and the other closed, he could tell it was beginning to get light - though still too early to be awake. He stretched out his limbs, feeling surprisingly refreshed compared to how he’d gone to bed. Maybe sleeping outside in the fresh air was a good thing every once in a-

Something poked him in the face.  

Good eye flying open, he became aware of a heavy weight sitting on top of him – a person - nose almost pressed against his, hand poised to prod him again.

At his movement, the man shifted, cackling wildly. ‘You’re alive! I had hoped you might be dead,’ he exclaimed, before whispering more conspiratorially, ‘I thought maybe I could eat you.’

Kakashi stared at the assailant, just able to make out his details in the dim light. He was small and scrawny, with oddly mismatched eyes. The left appeared normal, but the pupil in the right was dilated to the extent that only the slim amber ring of an iris surrounded it.

This must have been the ‘Zetsu’ Obito had warned him about.

Wriggling, Kakashi tried to escape, only to discover just how well-pinned he was underneath the blanket. And then - to his horror - that Zetsu was naked.

Wide-eyed, the two men stared at each other.  

But before either could take any action, Zetsu was hauled bodily off the sheriff, and set easily to one side.

‘Are you naked _again_?’ an amused voice asked, ‘What did you do with your clothes this time?’  

There was a noise that sounded vaguely like a mumbled excuse.

‘I don’t _care_ if it was a full moon,’ the first voice continued. ‘Just go and put something on before Konan sees you. Don’t you remember what she did last time?’

The scrawny man scampered away, muttering something unintelligible, and Kisame’s grinning face appeared above Kakashi. ‘Don’t mind Zetsu,’ he said, ‘He just likes walking round naked. Kid’s not quite right in the head.’

That might have been understating things just _slightly_ Kakashi thought.

‘He said he wanted to _eat_ me.’

Other Akatsuki members began to emerge from their tents, chuckling as they watched the exchange.

Kisame shrugged, ‘Well he is a cannibal. That’s just how he introduces himself. You should probably take it as a compliment. He wouldn’t suggest it if he didn’t like the look of you.’

Kakashi considered the large man, uncertain whether it was meant to be a joke. But Kisame seemed entirely serious. _Great._ So it wasn’t just murderous outlaws, or Hidan and his voodoo the sheriff was going to have to worry about, but now a cannibal too. Akatsuki was honestly be one of the weirdest groups of people Kakashi had ever met. And since he lived in Konoha, that was saying something.

‘Come on,’ Kisame said, looking completely unconcerned. ‘We’ve got breakfast going. You’ll want to eat before we ride.’

***

After breakfast, Kakashi rolled his belongings into his bedroll and went to saddle Biscuit. The horses were tethered a short walk from the campsite, next to a small stream that provided them water, and a meagre amount of grazing.

Obito was already there, sleeves rolled up, feeding what looked like part of his breakfast to Biscuit. The stallion nosed softly at his hand, allowing the outlaw to stroke along his jaw and even scratch underneath his chin, huffing happily and behaving more docilely than Kakashi had ever seen him be with a stranger before.

Most people learnt to be careful around Biscuit after being bitten for the first time, and the stallion was generally considered unrideable by anyone other than himself. It was what had almost seen him sent to the knacker’s yard before Kakashi – always a sucker for animals in need – had saved him and broken him in. But apparently he wasn’t as unfriendly as everyone thought.

Captivated by the sight, Kakashi paused to watch.

‘Are you just going to stand there enjoying the view, or are you going to help?’ Obito asked wryly. A hint of a smile played across his lips, like he wasn’t really adverse to either option.

Kakashi felt his cheeks growing warm. He hadn’t realised Obito had seen him approaching, and to be caught staring _again_ …

‘I’ll help,’ he blurted out.

Obito threw him a brush, looking amused. ‘Great. Help me saddle him then.’

As Kakashi set to work brushing Biscuit, the outlaw checked over his saddle. Now they were alone, Kakashi wasn’t entirely sure what to say to him. They hadn't exactly talked much during their first meeting, and what little he knew of Obito didn’t seem appropriate for polite conversation. _‘Excuse me, but how do you find robbing and murdering people?’_

Because _that_ was sure to go down well.

‘I um… never got the chance to say thank you yesterday. For rescuing me,’ he said.

The outlaw waved a hand in his direction, eyes never leaving his work. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

That was… not the response Kakashi had been going for. Obito was treating it like saving him was something anyone might have done. As though Kakashi wasn’t incredibly lucky he’d been there, and didn’t owe him his life.

‘Maa Obito,’ he persisted, ‘I’m serious. I’m glad you were there. That it was _you_.’

Small, barely visible creases appeared at the corners of Obito’s eyes, though he still didn't look up. ‘Just do me a favour then…’ he said quietly, ‘Don’t go martyring yourself again on my watch. I’m not saving your ass a second time.’

It was unclear whether that was because it would be inconvenient, or because he actually cared. Kakashi hoped it was the latter though.

‘And here I thought you quite liked my ass,’ he joked, unable to help himself.

Obito gave him a _look_ for that. One that asked ‘ _do you ever stop?_ ’. But his mouth had also curved ever-so-slightly upward. ‘Still an insufferable know-it-all I see,’ he remarked.

‘I think you enjoy it,’ Kakashi said.

Lifting the saddle, Obito pushed past him, settling it onto Biscuit and beginning to fasten it into place. ‘Do I? What makes you so sure?’

‘The way you’re trying not to smile.’

‘I am not.’

‘Maybe not _anymore_.’

Obito tightened the last buckle, testing the saddle’s security. ‘You really are a complete ass. Maybe I should’ve let you drown for longer. It might’ve improved your personality.’

He shot Kakashi a sideways look, as though challenging him to think up a smart reply to _that_.

But despite the sentiment, Kakashi couldn’t help the pleasant flutter in his stomach at the way Obito didn’t sound even remotely serious. He was fairly certain it showed on his face too, because the outlaw rolled his eyes, quickly turning away.

‘If you’re done looking pleased with yourself, you can help me with the others too.’

Kakashi was only too happy to be given the opportunity.

They repeated the process with Obito’s silvery mare. Her name was Kamui, and she was a beautiful creature, gentle-natured and reserved – everything Biscuit wasn’t. After a quick introduction she stood obediently still while Kakashi brushed her.

‘Has the gang given you any trouble?’ Obito asked.

‘No,’ Kakashi assured him, ‘They’ve been fine…’

‘But?’ Obito asked, like he was reading Kakashi’s mind.

‘Does Zetsu really eat people?’

The outlaw stifled a laugh, ‘So he did find you this morning?’

‘Unfortunately.’

‘To answer your question – none of us are actually sure. Word is he got exiled by his tribe for cannibalism, but since even Kakuzu speaks a different dialect we can’t be certain. He does seem to have an some strange habits and unhealthy fascination with people, but that’s as far as we’ve seen it go.’

‘That’s not very reassuring,’ Kakashi said, unpleasantly recalling the shock of his awakening.

Obito shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal and placed the saddle onto the mare, working deftly to secure it. ‘Welcome to the real world princess.’

‘ _Princess_?’

At Kakashi’s tone he paused, shooting him a very roguish grin. ‘Well, I need something to call you, and it can’t be sheriff anymore.’

‘You could try my _name_.’

‘Mmm no,’ Obito said, still smirking, ‘I prefer princess.’

And damn him if it didn’t sound hot the way he said it. But Kakashi wasn’t going to let _anyone_ call him princess. Even if they _had_ saved his life, _and_ happened to be an unreasonably attractive outlaw he wanted to get into bed with at the first possible opportunity.

‘I don’t,’ he protested.

Obito’s grin widened further, and something told Kakashi he saw the objection as a challenge. The man stopped his work on the saddle and reached out a hand, lazily resting it over Kamui’s rear quarters by Kakashi's head; and as good as trapping him against the horse.

Voice a low suggestive whisper, he leaned closer, ‘Maybe I’ll have to think of something more appropriate for a pretty idiot like you then.’

Kakashi’s brain stuttered to a complete halt. Disregarding the insult entirely, it latched onto just one word. _Pretty_. And the look Obito was giving him as he inched into his personal space - the same darkly longing expression he’d worn from across the campfire from Kakashi last night…

Did that mean what he thought it did?

A small thrill ran down his spine. God he hoped so. And since they were alone, now was as good a time as any to ask the question. Making up his mind, he drew in a breath-

‘I am _not_ going to see that old hag!’

A raised voice carried from the direction of camp. Obito and Kakashi both looked up at the same time.

‘Sasori-’

‘No. I’m not doing it. Where the hell is Tobi?’

Obito groaned and pushed back off Kamui, shoulders squared tensely. He looked about as impressed as Kakashi felt.

‘Finish up for me would you?’ he asked.

Stymied, Kakashi could only nod. He watched Obito’s retreating back with disappointment, uncertain when he’d get another chance to have the man to himself.

***

Not that day, as it turned out. Instead, as they rode, Kakashi found himself getting a crash course in all things Akatsuki.

‘So let me get this straight,’ he said, ‘The old woman we’re riding to see-’

‘Granny Chiyo,’ Nagato interjected.

‘She’s Sasori’s grandmother?’

‘Yes.’

‘But they’re estranged,’ Kakashi clarified, feeling like the situation was getting more convoluted by the second.

‘Not exactly… It’s complicated.’

Kakashi sighed loudly, tipping his head back and considering the sky as though he hoped help might be forthcoming from there.

It wasn’t.

Nagato rode beside him, waiting patiently. Obito and Konan were scouting ahead, out of sight. Sasori was riding in his own bad-tempered huff, and the remaining gang members seemed to be having an animated debate about the best type of liquor, and how it should be drunk.

‘Maybe you could just explain from the beginning,’ Kakashi said.

Nagato nodded, unperturbed, and Kakashi was grateful for his patience. Of all the members of Akatsuki, he seemed the most level headed and open, happy to explain what the other members took for granted. So naturally, he had found himself riding beside the softly-spoken man as they traipsed west under a blazing hot sun, along a one of the lesser-used roads in the region, headed for a small town in Grass County that was home to the woman in question.

‘Chiyo originally hails from Suna,’ Nagato said. ‘She and her brother Ebizō were once prominent figures in the government there, well-liked and respected. They were good, honest people, always trying to help those who were less fortunate. But it made them enemies of those who didn't want the system to be fair.’

He paused thoughtfully, and Kakashi couldn’t help but notice the hint of underlying bitterness that had crept into his tone.

‘One day Sasori’s parents were murdered. Some sort of political quarrel I believe. Chiyo raised him like a son, teaching him everything she knew. She wanted him to take after his parents. To work to make things better, just like they had. So when he joined a gang… I think she saw it as a betrayal. They haven’t really been on speaking terms since.’

‘So…’ Kakashi said, still struggling to understand the logic behind their current course of action, ‘why would outlaws like Ginkaku and Kinkaku go to see her then? Why would we? Won’t she just turn us in?’

‘Perhaps… But not without helping us first.’

Confused, Kakashi gave Nagato a blank look.

‘She’s a healer,’ the man explained. ‘Above everything else, she believes in helping people. If the brothers need treatment, she won’t turn them away, just like she never does us. Whatever she thinks of Sasori’s choices in life, she won’t compromise her own beliefs.’

The sentiment reminded Kakashi of Rin. She believed in helping people too. Poor, rich, good, bad – they were just labels to her. He’d always admired the way she looked beyond them, and tried to see the best in people, in a way he never could.

‘That doesn’t sound so bad. Why doesn’t Sasori want to see her then?’

Nagato smiled like it was obvious. ‘Of course she’ll always help him. But she never does it quietly. I don’t think I’d enjoy being told I was a disappointment to my parents and family name either.’

Kakashi couldn’t help but think of his own father, and what he might have made of his son’s current situation, travelling with a gang. ‘I suppose that’s… understandable.’

‘It’s a difficult relationship. But he is lucky to have family,’ Nagato remarked cryptically, a faraway look in his eyes.

***

As the hours passed, most of the gang members took the opportunity to talk with Kakashi, either in groups or alone. And as friendly as they were, it was impossible to forget they were outlaws.

Hidan had a disturbing collection of artefacts he proudly carried with him, most of which could be categorised as dead, exceedingly spiky, or some combination of the two. His favourite was shrunken head which he showed Kakashi, along with a small straw doll, offering to curse anyone he needed cursed. Politely, Kakashi declined.

Deidara professed to be an enthusiastic patron of the arts. Only, his concept of art seemed to involve making things explode. Including people. He talked at lengths about the finer points of rigging a detonator, the precise ratio of nitro-glycerine to substitute in place of dynamite, and the fleeting beauty in bringing down half a mountainside at dawn – something Kakashi entirely failed to share his enthusiasm for. But since the man’s temper appeared almost as unstable as the tools of his profession, he thought it best not to mention it.

Kakuzu meanwhile, managed the gang’s finances, and asked if Kakashi knew of any poorly secured banks. He demonstrated an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the features of common safe models and happily explained the process of circumventing their defences using only a long thin brass stethoscope, and an acute sense of hearing.

And Kisame wouldn’t stop talking about sharks. He showed Kakashi a triangular tooth with jagged edges he’d bought from a trader who assured him it belonged to one. When asked why he liked them so much the man just shrugged, explaining that you knew where you stood with a predator like that. They were built for killing and they didn’t try to hide it. Something about the way he spoke made Kakashi wonder if he was just referring to animals anymore, or people too.

Even Zetsu said a few words, though Kakashi found his attention was prone to wandering, eye drawn by small details in the environment anyone else would have missed – like the small red-crested bird emerging from a hole in a cactus, or the signs of deer browsing in the roadside shrubs. He had odd mannerisms and an almost tic-like quality to his movements, but nothing to indicate he was really was a threat to anyone, strange though he was.

And finally Itachi, who ostensibly seemed like the most stable of them all, had the manner of a man who if provoked, might just suddenly snap. He was quiet and aloof - the sort who’d probably be in blood up to his elbows with no visible sign of distress. But aside from Nagato, he was also the most polite and easy member of Akatsuki to converse with. Once Kakashi got him talking about béchamel sauce, petite fours and how a bouquet garni could improve any stew, it was surprisingly easy to forget he was a wanted criminal at all.

Konan however, was another matter entirely. By mid-morning she’d stopped looking at Kakashi like he was a threat that might suddenly gun them all down, and started treating him as an annoyance. Like a fly she would happily swat, but couldn’t, for reasons outside of her control. No matter what he did she seemed determined not to interact with him, remaining steadfastly cold and indifferent even when he tried to strike up a conversation. It made him wonder exactly what Obito had told her.

But on the whole, by the end of the first day when they made camp, Kakashi almost felt like he knew the other gang members better than he knew Obito - the leader having spent most of the day keeping his distance. He was friendly _enough_ , but not so much Kakashi could figure out what his true motivations were. Whether Obito actually wanted more of what they’d had, or just the information Kakashi provided.

There were moments he really believed were genuine - a subtle look, or passing comment that would set his heart skipping – like this morning. But every time they had the chance to talk, the outlaw seemed to purposefully ensure they weren’t left alone together. As though he was looking for any excuse to hold Kakashi at arm’s length.

And Kakashi would’ve been lying if he said it didn’t play on his mind just a little.

He really did want the chance to get to know Obito, but that meant staying with the gang. And every day he associated with them made it more likely someone would recognise him. Which - if it happened - it would make returning to his role as a sheriff very, very difficult.

It would require a sound explanation at least. And somehow, _‘I was chasing down some bad outlaws by allying with an even worse group of outlaws because I accidentally slept with their leader once and needed to know if I wanted to do it again,’_ didn’t seem like it would cut it.  

Talk about getting himself in too deep…

Really, all he wanted to know was if the end game was worth the risk. Because if Obito felt the same way he did, he was certain they would find a way to make things work, no matter how impossible it seemed.

But if he didn’t…

Then he needed to know before it was too late. Before he’d put himself out on a limb chasing a dream that didn’t exist, only to find it snapping beneath him.

And that meant getting Obito alone, so he could figure out exactly what was going on inside the man’s head.

***

His opportunity came during the second day of their travels. The gang stumbled across a wagon with a broken wheel at the roadside, and instead of robbing the distraught family it belonged to, like Kakashi had feared they might, Obito ordered the gang to help repair it.

While Kisame, Kakuzu and Sasori carried out the actual repairs, and the remaining gang members wrangled Hidan into staying away from the family’s oldest daughter, Obito lay in the shade provided by a sparse tree, settling his hat over his eyes and a jacket under his head.

Cautiously, Kakashi approached him. ‘Can I join you?’

‘Sure,’ the man replied, unmoving.

Kakashi lay down next to him, arms behind his head, careful to leave a decent gap between them. Now the moment was here, he wasn’t actually sure what to say. Should he bring up the night they’d met, or start with something more innocuous? And having Obito in such close proximity was… distracting, to say the least.

In the end, it was the outlaw who spoke first.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ he announced, nudging Kakashi’s leg with the toe of his boot. ‘What about Kushi? Short for Kushinada.’

‘What?’ Kakashi asked, confused.

‘Your nickname. According to legend she was kidnapped and had to be rescued too.’

 _That_ was meant to be an improvement over princess? Kakashi considered the story in question, of a woman kidnapped by a horrible monster, and rescued by a dashing hero. It was fairly obvious what part Obito was angling for.

‘I suppose that makes you an eight-headed serpent then,’ he said, just to be difficult.

‘Hang on…’ Obito removed the hat from his face and frowned. ‘ _I_ rescued _you_.’

‘You also took me hostage,’ Kakashi pointed out logically. ‘The first time we met.’

Looking peeved, the outlaw threw the hat at him. ‘Do you have to ruin everything?’

Kakashi caught it, smiling. ‘Only when it involves calling me a damsel in distress.’

‘Which you _are_.’

‘About as much as you’re a bad guy.’

Rolling onto his side, Kakashi offered up the headwear. Obito took it back, fingers softly brushing over Kakashi's in a way that made him shiver.

‘You don’t think I am?’ the outlaw asked, suddenly serious.

‘You don’t seem all that bad.’

‘You don’t _know_ me.’

‘I know you helped me. And you’re helping these people. You didn’t have to.’

‘Two good deeds in a lifetime of sins,’ Obito said sarcastically. ‘I don’t think there's a place for me in the pure land yet.’

‘So why do it then?’ Kakashi asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

‘Because it makes sense,’ Obito said thoughtfully, placing the hat down beside himself. ‘They’re obviously too poor to rob, and by helping them we gain support. That’s five less people willing to report us to the law. We don’t evade capture across the state by harassing regular hardworking people.’

Kakashi hadn’t considered that. But somehow, it went a long way toward explaining Akatsuki’s success. If they could hide in plain sight, it was no wonder they’d been so effective at evading the law. And what better way to do that than by gaining the trust of the very people who might otherwise report them?

‘You help people,’ he said, slightly incredulous, more to himself than the man beside him.

‘Sometimes,’ Obito replied. ‘When it suits me.’

He rolled to face Kakashi, propping his head up on an elbow and reaching the other hand out to rest lightly on Kakashi's waist, fingers playing across it as he smirked. ‘What… did you think I just spent all my time robbing people and kidnapping helpless maidens?’

A flush of heat raced through Kakashi, like fire spreading outward from Obito’s touch. His mind blanked and all he could do was stare into dark eyes, focused so intently on him.

‘Umm…’

Obito laughed, creeping his fingers slowly down towards Kakashi’s ass. ‘Or maybe you like that idea.’

As much as he objected to being called a helpless maiden, Kakashi did like what Obito was doing. A _lot_.

‘I… not the robbing part,’ he clarified breathlessly, struggling to think much beyond the gentle pressure pulling him towards the outlaw. The arm that was sliding further down his back, drawing him in, like the answer to all his questions. The way his body was already so eagerly responding to the man’s touch, like it had an agenda of its own.

‘Are you sure?’ Obito murmured. ‘I thought the lawbreaking was what appealed to most people.’

With agonising slowness he slid Kakashi flush against him. Kakashi closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying very hard not to think about all the parts of Obito that were pressed into him right now. Those hard abs, firm chest, and the fingers drawing nonsense patterns on the small of his back. How easy it would be to just throw a leg over him, pin him down and loose the buttons of his shirt one by one... god Kakashi wanted this so badly.

Obito laughed like he knew it – and he probably did too. The outlaw seemed to be capable of reading Kakashi like few other people could. But as much as the attention was enjoyable, it felt too sudden to be genuine. Like Obito had an purpose behind giving him exactly what he wanted, and it wasn’t for the reason he hoped.

And Kakashi knew if he didn’t stop it now, he wasn’t going to be able to.

He pulled away from Obito, still regretting every inch of space he put between them. ‘I think you and I have a different point of view on the law.’

‘Oh?’ the outlaw asked, a hint of displeasure creeping into his tone.

‘My job is to uphold it, not break it.’

With a scowl, the man removed his hand from Kakashi’s hip. ‘Then what are you even doing out here? I’m an outlaw, and this is a _gang_. Breaking laws is what we _do_.’

 _Trying to understand you_ , Kakashi wanted to say. But with the tension between them now, it didn’t seem appropriate anymore. Obito's manner had changed in an instant, only furthering Kakashi’s suspicions that his attention had been an act of some kind. For what reason he had no idea, but the implication hurt all the same.

‘I was curious,’ he said, a little defensively.

‘About what exactly?’

 _About a lot of things..._ All of which revolved around the man lying about a foot from him, looking decidedly unimpressed, and all of which were seeming more stupid and far-fetched by the second.

But, unable to come up with a better alternative, Kakashi settled for saying exactly what he was thinking. ‘You.’

Obito paused at that, narrowing his eyes. ‘What about me?’

‘You keep saying you’re a bad guy. And I’ve read your wanted posters – I know the things you and this gang have done. But you’ve helped me, twice now. If you were really everything you’re meant to be, I don’t think you would’ve done that.’

Disconcertingly still, the outlaw watched him. ‘So you’re here because you think I’m better than I’m made out to be?’

‘Yes.’

For a second Kakashi thought he saw a flicker of _something_ behind Obito’s dark eyes, but it was quickly gone. Instead the man’s scowl deepened, tone turning cold.

‘Then let me disabuse you of that notion.’

Kakashi swallowed, feeling like he might not want to hear what was coming.

Withdrawing one of his revolvers from its holster, Obito held it up between them. He twirled it casually around a finger, then let it hang in front of Kakashi like a threat. The ivory glowed brightly in the sun, highlighting the shadows of the engraving as the man fixed him with an icy glare.

‘Have you heard the story of how I came by these guns?’

Somewhat unwillingly, Kakashi shook his head.

‘I got them when I was fourteen. The day I made my first kill,’ Obito said, expression now decidedly unpleasant. ‘They belonged to my uncle, the only family I remember, and the man who raised me. But… let’s just say I didn’t exactly see eye to eye with him.’

A chill ran down Kakashi’s spine, cold despite the midday sun.

‘One night when we were alone, in the middle of nowhere, I saw an opportunity… While he slept, I took them. Shot him in the back, point-blank, and left him for dead. And you know what?’ Obito asked, lips curling into a sneer.

He slid the gun back into its holster, trailing his fingers through Kakashi’s hair, deceptively gentle at first, then tightening into something that _hurt_. Forcing him to meet his gaze as he leaned closer, eyes wild. ‘I fucking _enjoyed_ it. Best day of my entire fucking life.’

A strangled noise escaped Kakashi’s throat, and he tried to pull away. But Obito wouldn’t let him.  

‘ _That’s_ who I am,’ the man hissed, grasp unyielding, ‘An outlaw and a murderer. I did warn you I’d only disappoint you sheriff…. So the sooner you realise it, and run back to Konoha with your tail between your legs like I can see you want to, the better, for _both_ of us.’

He gripped Kakashi just long enough to let the statement sink in, then shoved him away as though he couldn’t stand to be near him a second longer. Settling the hat back onto his head, he stood and stalked away, hands clenched into tight fists at his side.

Kakashi gaped at his retreating back, speechless. That wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

It was one thing to _know_ of Obito’s crimes, but they’d never seemed to correlate with his experience of the man. Blame could be misplaced, the truth twisted to suit an agenda, and Kakashi supposed he’d wanted to believe that. Wanted to believe that underneath it all there was some redeeming story where Obito was a actually good person, unjustly accused. Because the alternative meant facing up to who he’d really fallen for – someone dark and threatening who belonged to a world he couldn’t be a part of.

But what the man had just described doing was _wrong_. It was murder, plain and simple, and everything Kakashi stood against.

Briefly, he considered doing exactly as Obito had suggested, and leaving. He could just go – return to Konoha and his job, and forget this entire folly. Should even, if he had any sense.

But then… sense was never something he’d had much of when it came to men.

Not to mention it felt like things weren’t as simple as Obito made them out to be. As though there was a bigger picture to all this, and Kakashi just wasn’t seeing it yet. Why else would Obito have helped someone who should be his enemy?

Or… maybe he was grasping at straws. Trying to justify why, even now, he still got butterflies in his stomach just thinking of Obito…

Kakashi groaned, rolling onto his back and massaging his fingers over his temples. Why did Obito have to be such a confusing person? He was hot and cold in a way Kakashi couldn’t understand, drawing him close one second, then pushing him away the next. Yet he still got the feeling he was no closer to understanding who the outlaw really was, underneath it all.

But in light of what the man had just told him, the real question was; did he even still want to know?

***

After a long ride they made it to Chiyo’s late that afternoon. The desert had given way to open grassland at some point, knee-high and swaying with the soft breeze. But, entirely preoccupied with his own thoughts, Kakashi failed to notice until they approached the town near Chiyo and Ebizō’s homestead.

At Obito’s direction the gang bypassed the small cluster of buildings entirely, riding directly for their destination. The modest homestead was located just out of town, close enough to be convenient, but far enough to offer privacy. A small orchard was nestled by one side, and it was from this direction the Akatsuki leader ordered them to approach. 

With guns at the ready he, Kisame, Itachi, and Konan crept toward the house while the rest of the gang, fanned out around it, ready to catch the brothers if they attempted to make a run for it. Even Kakashi was included in the effort, though under Nagato’s close supervision – an unmissable nod to Obito’s concern that Kakashi might shoot him in the back, given the opportunity.

The leader hadn’t spoken to him since their disagreement earlier in the afternoon, other than to briefly acknowledge his continued presence as they set off after fixing the wagon. Even that had come with an unreadable look that gave Kakashi no hint whether his company was still welcome, an effect further compounded by the way Obito had spent the rest of the afternoon scouting ahead of the gang.

Or avoiding Kakashi, depending on your point of view.

It was beginning to give him the sinking feeling that he might have blown his only chance. Because if they did find the brothers inside the homestead, he would have no further reason to be with Akatsuki, other than to follow a man who, it appeared, didn’t particularly want him around anyway. And that realisation sat about as well as a lead weight in his stomach, unwelcome, yet impossible to ignore.  

‘Ready?’ Nagato whispered, drawing Kakashi from his reverie.

The two of them were concealed behind a water trough next to the barn, Nagato with his rifle at the ready, while Kakashi gripped his revolver. Nodding, Kakashi watched Obito’s team surround the back door. With a series of rapid hand signals, the man directed Kisame toward it, counting down on his fingers. When he reached zero, Kisame kicked the door inward, allowing the other three to rush inside.

A tense wait followed.

Kakashi fidgeted, half-expecting to hear gunfire erupt at any second. But after several moments the only noise was a loud smack - like skin on skin - and the sound of a woman yelling. Obito emerged shortly after, rubbing a distinctly pink cheek and looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

‘Sasori, your grandmother wants to see you,’ he announced.

Laughter rang out from around the homestead as the remaining gang members left their hiding spots. No rival outlaws then. Kakashi offered his hand to Nagato, helping him up.   

‘If that’s what she did to Obito, Sasori’s really in trouble,’ the man remarked, swinging his rifle over his shoulder.

It turned out to be an astute prediction. While Sasori got a very audible earful, the rest of the gang gathered outside the barn with the old man Ebizō, as Obito questioned him on the brothers’ visit.

‘Yes we saw those ruffians,’ Ebizō said, ‘They came through here about a day ago. Chiyo saw to the older man’s hand and they left straight after that. Now I see why.’

‘Did they say where they were going?’ Konan asked.

‘To Ame, to offload the gold they were carrying.’

‘That’s it?’

Obito looked like he was hoping for more.

The old man tugged at his long eyebrows thoughtfully. ‘Well now, there was another thing they mentioned. Something about a job on a valuables train in Suna, a couple of months from now. But I only overheard it in passing.’

That elicited a urgent hushed discussion amongst the gang.

‘A train in Suna?’

‘In two month’s time?’

‘Not the gold train?’

‘Surely they’re not planning to hit _that_.’

‘The thing’s guarded like a fucking fortress!’

‘It’s impossible!’

Obito turned back to Ebizō. ‘How sure are you old man?’

If Kakashi hadn’t already been certain the man’s mouth couldn’t possibly turn any further downwards, he was now.   

‘You watch your tongue boy,’ Ebizō snapped, ‘I might be old but my ears work just fine.’

Surprisingly, Obito let the rebuke slide without comment. Gang leader or not, it seemed even he knew better than to pick a fight with Sasori’s relatives.  

More yelling came from the homestead as Ebizō unlocked the barn doors. ‘You can stay here tonight but you’ll have to move on tomorrow,’ he said, nodding towards the house, ‘Don’t want either of them killing each other.’

‘That’s fine by us,’ Obito replied.

The old man pursed his lips, eyeing all of them suspiciously before waggling a finger at their leader. ‘And don’t you touch my moonshine.’

The grin that settled onto Obito’s face was anything but honest. ‘Of course not.’

Behind him, the gang chuckled.

Looking like he already knew how this was going to end, Ebizō glowered at them briefly, before stepping aside and making his way back to the house. He’d barely been gone half a minute before Hidan sauntered over to one of the stills, grabbing the glazed pottery jug beneath its spout and sampling the liquid within.

‘Mmmm,’ he enthused, ‘Not bad compared to his last batch. It’s got a funny kind of aftertaste though.’ He peered into the neck of the jug as though that might cause it to give up its secrets, then shrugged, and threw back another gulp.

‘Honestly Hidan…’ Konan said, prising the liquor from his hands and setting it down.

‘What?’

‘You can drink _after_ we’ve made a plan.’

With a load groan, the cultist joined the circle the rest of the gang had already formed. ‘Well fucking hurry up then. I want to get shit-faced already!’

‘The way I see it, there’s not much to discuss.’ Obito said with a small shrug. ‘Are we all in agreement that what Ebizō was referring to is the gold train through Suna?’

The gang members glanced at each other, as though searching for doubt. Then slowly, they all gave a chorus of affirmative responses.

Obito nodded, looking pleased. ‘Then we know exactly when and where the brothers are going to be, two months from now. We can set an ambush when they’re least expecting it. Kill two birds with one stone - get them, _and_ the gold.’

A tangible ripple of excitement ran through the gathering. Kisame ginned toothily, Kakuzu rubbed his hands together and Hidan threw his arms up in the air impatiently.

‘So can we have a fucking party then?’

Obito smirked like a cat who’d got all the cream. ‘If this works, it’ll be the biggest haul we’ve ever taken. Damn right we can have a party!’

***

They set up camp in the barn, stabling the horses and building a bonfire outside. While the others worked, Deidara and Hidan ventured into town for ‘essential supplies’ – food, alcohol, and women as it turned out - which somehow didn’t surprise Kakashi at all. The ladies they returned with were gaudy, scantily clad, and it wasn’t hard to guess where Hidan had found them. Or what they’d be doing to earn their keep tonight.

More surprising however was the way one of them, with long glossy dark hair and a beauty spot under her right eye, immediately attached herself to Obito. To Kakashi’s surprise, the man even allowed it, wrapping an arm around her waist and whispering something in her ear that elicited a girlish giggle, before she responded in kind. Their interaction seemed familiar - in a very obviously physical way. Which, given the woman’s profession, and the fact the gang clearly passed through here often, could only mean one thing…

Jealousy rose, hot and tight in Kakashi's chest. So not only was he being ignored, but now it seemed he was being replaced too - as if this afternoon hadn’t been enough of a slap in the face.

As dusk fell the gang set up a spit and roasted pig over the fire, serving it with apples from the orchard, while drinking and swapping stories from the past. Kakashi sat quietly to one side, eyeing Obito mournfully, and feeling generally resentful toward the world. But just as Deidara was getting into what sounded like a highly embellished account of a train robbery involving large quantities of explosives, someone tapped Kakashi on the shoulder. He turned to see an age-lined liver-spotted face that looked like it held the cares of the world, considering him.

‘Hardly the life of the party,’ Chiyo remarked wryly.

‘They’re ah… not really my kind of thing,’ Kakashi lied, trying not to glance behind her to where Obito was sitting.  

‘Hm,’ the old woman snorted, evidently not fooled. ‘Whatever you say. I’m only here to check my grandson’s work on your eye. We should be able to take the bandages off now - if he’s done a half-decent job anyway.’

She sounded like her assessment of the chances wasn’t high.

Nodding, Kakashi moved to allow her better access.

Carefully, the woman unwound the wrappings. Despite her advanced age, her hands were steady and it wasn’t long before the last turn of bandage fell from his head. The cool air felt strange on his newly exposed skin, and it took all of his willpower to stop himself from touching it.  

Chiyo inspected the cut critically. ‘Can you open the eye?’ she asked.

Kakashi tried. There was still a definite sting to it, but the lid slid open without difficulty, and he blanked a couple of times, trying to bring the world around him into focus. Gradually, it settled into a clear and coherent picture – Obito across the fire, watching him with a dark intensity, the woman from town still at his side.

It appeared that at some point Kakashi hadn’t noticed, the gang had ceased their storytelling, and turned their full attention to him and Chiyo.

‘Can you see?’ the woman asked, waving a finger in front of him.

‘Yes. Everything looks fine.’

‘Hmfp,’ she grunted, sucking her lips together.

‘See Granny?’ Sasori said, appearing by her side, ‘I told you I’d taken care of it.’

With a loud snort the old woman stood, clicking her tongue in disapproval. ‘Oh I see alright. You could be doing so much more with your life than being a criminal.’

‘Granny-’

‘I’m far too old for this you know,’ the woman interrupted. ‘ _And_ it’s my bedtime. Just mind you and your friends don’t steal anything or kill anyone while you’re here.’

She shuffled back toward the house and Sasori breathed out again. ‘Damn hag,’ he muttered, staring vacantly after her.

Someone pressed a drink into Kakashi’s hand, clapping him on the back enthusiastically.

‘Drink up!’ Hidan yelled, clearly having already followed his own advice, and then some.

Kakashi considered the bottle. He didn’t normally drink, preferring to keep a clear head, but then this wasn’t exactly a normal situation either. _What the hell_ , he thought, bringing the bottle to his lips. Maybe it would give him the courage he needed to speak to Obito honestly.  

The sharpness of the liquor bit at his tongue, settling into his stomach with an uncomfortably warm swirl. Undeterred, Kakashi took another gulp.

‘That’s the spirit!’ Hidan enthused, slapping his back again.

The rest of the gang raised their various drinking vessels like an impromptu salute, then downed them in one. Realising they expected him to do the same, Kakashi quickly followed suit. The alcohol burnt the entire way down, but the action did earn him a small cheer.

Meanwhile, Sasori had adopted a bad-tempered scowl. ‘I need to shoot something,’ he declared suddenly, stomping toward the orchard.

Kakuzu withdrew a small notebook and pencil from his shirt pocket, looking almost as enthusiastic as when he’d been talking to the sheriff earlier about bank robbery. ‘I’ll take bets.’

The evening began to assume a somewhat blurred quality shortly after that.  

Using apples placed strategically around the limbs of the trees, the gang set up a target range.  Whoever could shoot the most in the shortest time would win. Several drinks later, Kakashi found himself facing off against Sasori, who as it turned out, was actually the gang’s gunsmith, and not a bad shot. Normally he would have questioned the safety of wielding firearms while intoxicated, but a curious side-effect of the alcohol consumption seemed to be that he no longer cared.

Lining up the closest apple, he squeezed off a shot. Then another, and another.

Sasori might have been a decent marksman, but he was no match for Kakashi who had all the experience of long boring days in Konoha on his side. A responsible sheriff never wasted an opportunity to sharpen up their skills after all. But as the red-head retreated for more alcohol, muttering curses, Itachi took his place. And if Kakashi’s victory had been conclusive, Itachi’s was even more so. He clearly wasn’t known as the deadliest gun in the west for nothing. Kakashi wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anyone fire so quickly _and_ accurately before. Afterward, he shook the man’s hand, making a mental note never to piss him off.

Then the other gang members took turns at the challenge, eager to show off their skills with company present. Nagato excelled from long range with a rifle, and Kisame cleared the field using only throwing knives and a rather unsettling grin. But when Zetsu wandered out from within the trees wearing a mad smile, Konan declared unequivocally it was time for something safer.

They retreated back to the barn where Itachi set himself up at an old battered piano in the corner, playing upbeat tunes late into the night. More drinks were shared and money changed hands – bets from the shooting – with Kakuzu taking a cut of every sum. Kakashi found himself the recipient of far more attention than he was comfortable with, the gang members apparently having been impressed with his information and company over the last two days.

All but one anyway - Konan notwithstanding.

And _he_ had seated himself amongst some loose bales of hay with his lady friend, either oblivious or indifferent to the looks Kakashi had been sending his way all evening. More than anything else Kakashi just wanted to march over there, pull the woman off him, and demand an explanation for why Obito was acting like he didn’t exist. To ask him if he’d completely forgotten the night they spent together, or whether he was just deliberately being an asshole. _And_ make him explain this afternoon while he was at it.

But to actually do that in front of the entire gang would take more courage than Kakashi had, alcohol or not. There was no telling how Obito would react to being publicly challenged in such a manner. Not well though, he guessed, and considering the side to the outlaw he’d seen earlier, he wasn’t overly keen to find out.

Instead, he sat alone, imagining what he might be doing if he had chosen to return to Konoha. Probably celebrating his close escape from death with dinner at Ichiraku, he guessed. Rin would be there, and Guy too, with his overzealous enthusiasm for life. Yamato would fuss over everyone, Naruto would eat too much, and Sasuke would glower all night long, trading insults with his blond-haired partner like he didn’t care at all about him, when everyone knew he _did_.  

He missed them all, Kakashi realised. And more than that, he felt guilty that in his absence they were probably assuming the worst. No… that he was _letting_ them assume the worst. And for what? A man who didn’t even care that Kakashi was here?

Fuelled by moonshine and high spirits, the rest of the gang took to the dance floor with the women from town. Kakashi lost track of how long he watched them, time seeming to blur into a mingled mess of colours and noise until Kisame suddenly swore loudly to the entire room he’d seen a shark, and ran off into the night to pursue it, then Deidara quickly followed, screaming something about being there to blow it up for him.

Picking up one of their discarded mugs, Sasori sniffed at it suspiciously. ‘Cactus juice,’ he concluded, adding, ‘Makes the moonshine hallucinogenic. They won’t get far.’

Kakashi was glad it wasn’t what he’d been drinking. Not that he could claim to be anything close to sober, but at least he wasn’t seeing things that didn’t exist. Unless you counted Obito’s interest in him of course, he though cynically.

Kakuzu, Hidan and Nagato were playing poker, so he decided to join them, hoping to distract himself. Kakuzu had amassed a large pile of coins, and Kakashi found himself rapidly adding to it, fairly certain the man was cheating somehow. He was sure he could figure out the trick though, just as soon as he could _concentrate_ for more than ten seconds at a time, and get all the cards to stop wobbling precariously in everyone’s hands like some sort of mirage…

Taking a deep breath to clear his head, Kakashi looked away. His gaze fell on Obito, and the way that woman was _all over_ him now, sliding her hands beneath his shirt as they talked and laughed, and how he was just _letting_ her… 

It made Kakashi feel sick. Or maybe that was just the alcohol.

Unable to take it anymore, he excused himself and rushed out into the fresh night air. Behind the barn it was quiet, with a moonlit outlook to the open plains on one side, and the edge of the orchard on the other. He sat with his back to the wall, resting his head in his hands, unable to help feeling bitter. Even more so when only minutes later, he saw Obito slip into his tent in the orchard, trailing that giggling idiot behind him.

So that was it then. He'd made his choice.

But before it had a chance to sink in, a dark figure appeared quietly at his side, holding out a drink. Caught by surprise, Kakashi looked up, hoping somehow for the impossible.

Instead, he got Konan.

He stared blankly as she waggled the mug in front of him again. What could _she_ possibly want? Hesitantly he took it, hoping she hadn’t seen him staring at Obito all night like some kind of lovesick puppy. _Please_ don’t let that be what this was about…

With cold, expressionless eyes, the woman considered him. ‘You know, you’re just like all the rest,’ she said eventually, tone anything but friendly.  

Kakashi frowned. She wasn’t even making sense. ‘The… rest?’ he asked.

‘The other thrill seekers who chase after him.’

‘What others?’

Konan laughed unpleasantly. ‘You think you’re the only one? He’s had dozens over the years. They all come and go, searching for excitement, or a good story to tell their friends. He gives them what they want, and gets something in return - money, information, connections. Or maybe just company for the night. If they’re pretty enough.’

She looked him up and down and Kakashi felt his stomach clench tightly. She was telling him he’d been used. Just the latest in a long line of thralls Obito had manipulated for his own benefit.

‘I will give it to you,’ she continued, ‘He doesn’t normally bring them home. But you should realise, none of them ever mean anything to him. When they cease to be useful, they’re gone.’ The woman swirled the drink in her glass, looking into it thoughtfully. ‘And I’d say after today, you’ve ceased to be useful.’

Kakashi felt his mouth drop open. She had to be wrong. There was no way… But even as his heart rejected the idea, his mind latched onto it _._ It explained _everything_.

Konan gave him an almost sympathetic look, patting him impersonally on the shoulder as she left, ‘Don’t take it personally.’

As if _that_ were possible.

An owl hooted quietly, the call carrying on a soft breeze that ruffled through Kakashi’s hair. Everything out here was peaceful – a stark contrast to the tempest now raging inside of him. Alone again, he sat in shock, trying unsuccessfully to rationalise what Konan had said.  

There were others.

There always had been, and Obito didn’t tell him.

But of course he didn’t, because he’d only ever been using Kakashi. It all made sense now. Obito’s attention, just _enough_ to string Kakashi along while he was useful, and withdrawn when he was no longer required. The less than friendly reminder this afternoon that this was Obito’s world, not his, and he didn’t belong in it.

He’d been such an idiot to ever hope for anything different. To think he might have meant something to man who would happily murder his relatives in their sleep and think nothing of it. As if that was even something Kakashi could even face knowing his partner had done…

And yet here he was, in the middle of nowhere, risking his reputation for the man, for _nothing_. To say it made him angry was an understatement. But even anger was secondary to the sharp twist of _hurt_ in his chest.

At least he’d answered his question though, he thought sourly - Obito _was_ everything he was made out to be.

And Kakashi wasn’t going to stick round for it one moment longer.

He was going to saddle Biscuit and leave now, before anyone could stop him. Really, he owed Konan for her honesty. She didn’t even pretend to like him, but telling him the truth was more than Obito had done. Now, by the time the gang sobered up enough to realise Kakashi was gone, it would be too late for them to track him.

He’d be back home to Konoha, his friends, and his old life.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long this chapter has taken to get out...
> 
> Mostly you can blame Red Dead Redemption 2 having been released. I’m a huge fan of the franchise and the first game is where the idea for this au came from, so call it inspiration I guess? But between that, and work, and the way this chapter just didn’t seem to want to get out of my head onto the page, it’s taken a lot longer than I thought. Hopefully the next one will be faster!


	4. Debauchery and Other Sins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wait is finally over... Happy New Year everyone!

It was easy enough for Kakashi to sneak Biscuit out the back door of the stable after he’d made his decision. The party seemed to be winding down for the night and the few gang members who might have been coherent enough to question him had already gone to bed, while the rest were in no fit state to do so.

Moving quickly and quietly, he led the horse away from the building, pausing once he was out of sight to secure the animal’s saddle properly. It was nearly empty – neither the bedroll or spare clothes it had previously held having actually belonged to him. He’d chosen to leave them behind, changing back into his own attire - minus the trademark bandanna he’d lost to the brothers two days ago.  

It felt good to be rid of Obito’s things – as though he was reclaiming control over his life again. Now, in just a couple of days ride, he would be back home with his friends, and one step closer to forgetting this entire mistake had ever happened.

He tightened the straps securing the saddle to the girth around Biscuit’s belly, looking forward to having some time alone to clear his head. Next to him, Biscuit whinnied, shifting restlessly.

Kakashi glanced up. The stallion didn’t normally do that unless…

_Click._

The noise came from somewhere in the darkness at his back, sharp and mechanical. Almost exactly like-

‘Going somewhere _sheriff_?’ a familiar mocking voice asked.

Kakashi’s blood ran cold.

There was no mistaking the sound of a revolver being cocked.

Slowly, he raised his hands into the air, stepping away from Biscuit and turning to face the man behind the weapon. Obito had it aimed squarely at his chest, and he looked seriously _pissed_ – shoulders tense, eyes narrowed dangerously, mouth an angry thin line.

Kakashi’s heart sank. At this range, there was no way he could possibly miss. So much for getting away after all… ‘I’m going home,’ he said, more determined than he felt.

Almost imperceptibly, Obito’s grip on the gun tightened. ‘I thought you promised not to betray me?’

His expression was firm, but for the just _briefest_ of seconds Kakashi could’ve sworn his voice wavered.

‘I’m not going to,’ Kakashi offered. _Even though he probably should._ ‘But…’ he cautiously lowered his arms, struggling to keep the hurt out of his voice, ‘I can tell when I’m not wanted.’

Something in Obito’s manner softened at that, transitioning from outright fury toward something more like indignant confusion, though he still didn’t set his revolver down.

‘What do you mean?’ he demanded.

Not taking any chances, Kakashi stood very still. ‘You got what you wanted from me. So I’m leaving before I overstay my welcome.’

‘Overstay your welcome? Why would you think _that_?’

He sounded genuinely lost, enough to make Kakashi doubt himself. Just what was the outlaw playing at? He was acting hurt, like Kakashi was the one who’d wronged _him_.

‘Konan. She told me I was just like… all the others.’

Anger flitted briefly across Obito’s features. ‘That bloody woman!’ he spat, holstering his gun and covering the ground between them in a few quick strides.

Kakashi couldn’t help it – he flinched, shrinking away, and Obito stopped himself just short of reaching for him. Expression sullen, he sighed, conceding, ‘It’s true. There have been others. But… you’re not like them.’

Every shred of common sense Kakashi possessed was screaming at him not to believe a word of it. Just another empty promise from a man interested only in pleasing himself. But a traitorous flicker of hope stirred in his chest all the same.

‘No?’ he challenged. ‘Then what about that woman you were with tonight?’

‘Hanare?’ Obito frowned. ‘That’s what this is about?’

Kakashi said nothing. He wasn’t even going to dignify that with an answer. It should have been _obvious_. Even Konan had figured out as much. 

But Obito studied him with a curious expression he couldn’t quite place. It was shades of bewilderment and contemplation, laced with a hint of resentment. Then, eyes suddenly widening, he stared at Kakashi. ‘Wait, you think I slept with her?’

‘Didn’t you?’

Obito snorted at that, mouth curling in disdain. ‘Well obviously not. I last longer than _that._ Which I would think _you’d_ know…’

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the attitude. It was like the outlaw couldn’t help but be an asshole, even when he was trying not to be.

‘And I don’t sleep with our informants,’ he added, almost as an afterthought.

‘Informant?’ Kakashi asked slowly, uncertain he’d heard correctly.

The outlaw gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘She gives us information on potential jobs and any trouble heading our way. Her colleagues don’t know, and I’m not going to blow her cover. Not when what she tells me is useful.’

Kakashi nearly groaned out loud. So everything he’d seen had been an act. One that made perfect sense when he thought about it too. After all, if the last few months working in Jiraiya’s establishment had taught him anything, it was just how much prostitutes could learn about local business, legal or otherwise. It was entirely reasonable that Obito would want to utilise that to the gang’s advantage. Although… it still didn’t change any of what Konan had said, about him using people as it suited him. If anything, it only made it seem more believable.

‘Alright,’ Kakashi retorted, ‘So you didn’t sleep with _her_. Only other people.’

With a frustrated sigh, Obito glanced away, shoulders tensed. ‘Not since three months ago,’ he muttered.

Like that was supposed to make it better somehow. That he’d managed to go all of-

 _Three months_.

Kakashi froze. That was how long ago _he’d_ met Obito.

Mouth falling open at the implication, he stared at the outlaw. If a grown man could pout, it probably looked a lot like what Obito was doing right now. ‘What are you saying?’ he heard himself ask stupidly, even though it was pretty obvious what Obito was saying, and Kakashi just couldn’t deal with it yet. Not so soon after everything else tonight, with his head still reeling like it was.

The outlaw looked at him like he was an idiot, which was probably fair, considering. ‘How much more obvious do you want me to be?’ he said flatly. ‘I’m saying I haven’t slept with anyone else since I met you.’

Kakashi’s heart beat faster.

‘Why not?’

The other man’s face had gone bright red to the tips of his ears, and it was beyond adorable.

‘Because… I don’t know!’ he snapped, ‘It was different being with you. _You_ were different. Or at least… I hoped you might be.’

‘Different how?’

Obito rubbed hand over his face and through his hair, muttering toward the ground, ‘That maybe you actually liked _me_. Not just the _idea_ of me.’

Kakashi stared at him, lost for words. It was everything he’d spent the last few months wanting. Still wanted, really, despite everything. So his next words slipped out before he could stop them. ‘But… I do like you.’

Obito looked up at that, and the hope in his eyes was unmistakeable. ‘Then why didn’t you say anything?’

‘Why didn’t _you_?’

‘I didn’t want to pressure you. I thought if you wanted me, you’d come to me. So when you didn’t, I started doubting. And when you talked about me today like I was a better person than I am, I realised maybe it wasn’t _me_ you wanted at all. That I couldn’t be what you wanted…’

Kakashi stared at the gorgeous man in front of him wondering how he could ever think he wasn’t wanted. ‘Maa, you absolute moron. _All_ I ever wanted was you. It’s the only reason I’m even here.’

Obito’s face lit up at that, and it was the most brilliant thing Kakashi had ever seen. The outlaw took a small aborted half-step toward him before stopping again, hesitant and uncertain. The same vulnerability Kakashi remembered finding so endearing on their first night together.

And suddenly, even though there was still an awful lot wrong with the situation - a lot he didn’t know, and even more he didn’t understand about Obito – there a hell of a lot right about it too.

Stepping forward, he brought his arms to rest behind the outlaw’s neck, loving the way the man’s expression softened. A smile settled onto Obito's lips, and he slid his arms around Kakashi’s waist with a quiet satisfied huff. Then, pulling them close, he pressed his lips against Kakashi's, gentle and searching.

It was relief - sweet and utterly overwhelming - and Kakashi felt months of uncertainty and doubt ebb away as happiness bubbled up to take its place. Obito _did_ care after all. He might be frustrating, and confusing, and complicated, but he was also _Kakashi’s_ , no matter what Konan said.

And that was all he’d ever needed to know.

Slowly, he dragged his tongue along the join of the outlaw’s lips, delighting at the shiver that ran through him in response. The way Obito leaned into the kiss, tracing the curves of his mouth, needy yet restrained. Wanting, but without forcing anything in return.

Kakashi wove a hand into his long ebony hair, knotting it between his fingers, desperate for something tangible and concrete to hold on to. Proof this wasn’t just another one of his dreams.

But the warm arms wrapped around him were unmistakeably real, and Kakashi felt his reservations slipping away, second by second. The outlaw’s touch sparked a humming electric undercurrent through his veins, and he couldn’t help the quiet moan that escaped as he imagined getting Obito out of everything he was wearing and lying together, skin flush against hot skin…

With a husky chuckle, Obito broke away, murmuring breathlessly in Kakashi’s ear, ‘Do you have any idea how much I liked this about you the night we met?’

‘Liked what?’

He pulled back just far enough for Kakashi to see his face. ‘That I knocked you out, tied you up, and pointed a gun to your head, yet somehow not five minutes later, you wanted to fuck me like your life depended on it.’

Kakashi couldn’t help but smile at the memory. ‘My life _did_ depend on it.’

‘True.’ Obito laughed, simple and genuine, bringing a hand to rest gently over Kakashi's cheek. ‘I suppose what I’d really like to know though is… Do you still fuck if your life doesn’t depend on it?

He considered Kakashi with a soft, half-lidded gaze, and Kakashi felt something in his chest leap at Obito's words. 

‘You? Absolutely.’

With a grin of delight - or possibly something far more lecherous - Obito pressed an over-enthusiastic kiss to his lips. ‘Good. Because I’ve been waiting three months for this.’

Without further warning he hefted Kakashi up and over his shoulder like something out of the trashy erotic novels Kakashi had always had a soft spot for. As though he was the villain abducting the damsel in distress. Which Kakashi _absolutely_ would have objected to - if he hadn’t been so into it. And so busy laughing at Obito’s enthusiasm. There really was something strangely endearing about it.

In fact they were almost halfway back to the orchard before he even stopped to remember what he’d been doing outside in the first place. ‘Wait,’ he said, tapping the outlaw’s back. ‘What about Biscuit?’

Impatiently, Obito cast a glance back at the horse. Then to Kakashi’s complete astonishment, he whistled sharply and, ears pricking forward, Biscuit trotted happily after them.

‘How do you get him to do that?’ the sheriff asked, incredulous.

‘ _He_ just knows who’s boss around here.’

Kakashi didn’t even need to see Obito’s face to know he was smirking.

‘Maa, you’re ridiculous,’ he said, gently cuffing the back of the outlaw’s head.

‘I think you enjoy it,’ came the cheerful reply.  

‘Maybe.’

 _More like definitely_. It was lucky Obito couldn’t see the way Kakashi was smiling right now. Just the sheer knowledge that the outlaw felt the same way he did was making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

It didn’t alleviate the niggling doubts he still held from their chat this afternoon of course… but it _did_ change them. Framed them in a different light somehow. Because anyone who cared that much about what Kakashi thought of them obviously didn’t fit the profile of a thoughtless cold-blooded murderer. More like someone who hadn’t been entirely honest maybe.

In any case, it was increasingly hard to dwell on it when there were more… pressing… issues at hand.  

Deftly, Kakashi slid downward, wrapping his legs tightly around Obito’s hips. The outlaw groaned softly at the action, fingers digging deeper into the sheriff’s flesh to support him.

‘Don’t you at least want me to make it to the tent?’ he complained.

Kakashi shrugged. ‘I just want you.’

 _Where_ wasn’t really important right now.

With a low sound in his throat Obito pushed Kakashi roughly against the nearest tree, one hand roving beneath his shirt as he whispered hotly, ‘Don’t tempt me.’

Very deliberately, Kakashi rolled his hips against the outlaw’s.

A hot mouth met his then, greedy and demanding, and Kakashi revelled in it, happy to know Obito wanted this just as much as he did. Slipping his fingers between the buttons of the outlaw’s shirt he popped the first few open, pushing the collar back. Then, breaking their kiss, he brought his mouth down over his neck, brushing his lips across it with just the barest hint of teeth against skin. Obito shivered at the action and leaned his head back a little, allowing Kakashi better access.

The outlaw’s hand was still trailing gently down his side, sending a thrill of sensation everywhere it touched. Finding a small indentation beside Obito’s collarbone, Kakashi traced over it softly with his tongue, then fastened his mouth over the area, sucking lightly. From the indrawn breath that followed, and the way the outlaw’s fingers tightened around his hip, it was obvious that was a sensitive area for him.  

The man’s responsiveness was gratifying. Not like Kakashi had had _that_ much experience, but he’d always thought one of the best parts of sex was knowing his partner was enjoying it too. And if last time was anything to go by, Obito wasn’t shy about voicing what he wanted. Or giving as much in return.

The outlaw shuddered under Kakashi’s touch. ‘That’s it. Bed. _Now_ ,’ he said hoarsely.

Firmly grasping Kakashi’s ass with both hands again, he staggered as he carried the sheriff the final short distance to the tent. Kakashi held on tightly, distracting the man by caressing beneath his shirt. He _would_ have been perfectly happy to walk, but he wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to be pressed up against Obito like this either. It was undeniably hot, spreading desire like wildfire just beneath his skin.

The outlaw pushed them roughly through the canvas flaps of the tent and Kakashi unhooked his legs, setting his feet to the ground. But before he could orientate himself, or register the details of the basic interior furnishings, the outlaw had curled a hand around the nape of his neck, pulling him close and claiming his lips again.

There was nothing gentle about the kiss, and that suited Kakashi just fine. It was a harsh exchange of lips, tongue, and desperation that communicated just how much they needed this – for the time already lost, and everything still left unsaid. So whatever else it was, it wasn’t meant to be gentle. It was about possession - staking a claim beyond any shadow of doubt. About making Obito _Kakashi’s_ , and giving himself to the outlaw in turn.

With the soft noise of sliding fabric Kakashi’s waistcoat fell to the floor, followed by Obito’s shirt, and it felt like peeling back the layers of secrets and lies between them. He’d always thought there was a truth to nakedness that was impossible to hide. It meant exposing your weaknesses to another human being. Trusting them to have your back when you were most vulnerable, and offering the same in return. Sharing a little part of your soul, in a way.

Softly he skimmed his fingers over the scarred tissue of the outlaw’s right side, tracing the uneven, jarring, transition between it and the smooth skin. He hadn’t given it much thought last time, but now that he did, it was very different in character from the scars on Obito’s face. Those had a certain deliberate consistency to them, whereas the ones on his body were just complete, indiscriminate destruction. Kakashi wasn’t sure what was worse.

As though recalling his curiosity from their first meeting, Obito allowed him to explore, standing patiently while the sheriff charted the soft whorls and ridges that lined his chest and back. There was no self-consciousness to his manner this time, and it made Kakashi happy to know Obito trusted he didn’t care about how they looked.

‘Burn scars,’ he explained quietly. ‘From when I was a child.’

It was a small thing - just a tiny meaningless confession - but to Kakashi it was everything. One less secret between them.

‘And… these?’ he asked, moving his hand to rest over the scars on Obito’s face.

Obito flinched, though he didn’t shy away from the sheriff’s touch. But there was an unusually distant look in his eyes, an uncharacteristic hesitation in his voice, when he did speak.

‘I… I’m not ready to tell you about those yet.’

Coming from someone as tough as him, it made Kakashi think whatever the story was, it must be awful. Heart aching, he reached out, wrapping his arms around Obito and drawing him into a passionate kiss. It was reassurance, and everything that words seemed insufficient to communicate. That he was sorry for what happened, that Obito didn’t have to talk about it, but if he ever wanted to Kakashi would be here to listen.

Gradually their exchange deepened to something more again, tangled with heat and want, and the undeniable need to be _closer_. And as the last of their clothing fell to the floor, he tugged Obito gently backward, toward the bed he’d glimpsed in the far corner of the tent. The outlaw didn’t take much convincing.

Before Kakashi knew what was happening, he was pinned against a pile of blankets, with Obito using his mouth to explore every inch of skin he could reach. He skimmed his lips over a nipple, followed by his tongue, breathing against it with a gentle huff, before moving on to the other. It sent a scatter of white-hot brilliance lancing through every inch of Kakashi’s body, and he arched up into the outlaw, moaning loudly.

Obito laughed in delight. ‘You’re going to wake the whole camp making noises like that,’ he murmured, cheek resting against Kakashi’s stomach.

‘Do the others know?’ Kakashi asked, gasping as Obito ran fingers up the inside of his thighs, stroking the sensitive area just beneath his balls.

The outlaw smirked. ‘Well if they don’t, they will by morning, because I’m going to make you moan loudly enough to wake them all up.’

And _fuck_ if that wasn’t the hottest thing Kakashi had heard all night.

He pulled Obito up, distracting him with another kiss before flipping them both over. Obito landed on his back with a surprised _oof_ , looking up like he hadn’t expected the sheriff to take control. But regardless of who might be in charge out _there_ , Kakashi had never been one to take it lying down - even if he was usually the one taking it. After all, it wasn’t _his_ fault biology chose to make it feel so good.

And in any case, Obito deserved to work for this after being such an ass. Kakashi just intended to remind him that there were two people in this relationship, and _he_ had expectations too. Although from the sly grin that had settled onto Obito’s face, it looked like he might actually be into the idea… But Kakashi wasn’t going to give him what he wanted. Not right away anyway. First, he was going to take his time and explore the outlaw’s body, the same way he'd done with Kakashi’s.

Meticulous and teasing, he quickly learnt that Obito’s most sensitive area was his neck, but certain patches of his scarred skin had normal sensation, while others were numb to all but the deepest touch. Those were easy enough to avoid though, and the rest of Obito was… satisfyingly responsive. Kakashi traced his form with fingers, lips, and tongue, mouthing at the soft skin of his inner thighs; gratified when his body stiffened, fingers curling into the blankets. Even more so when, gripping a fist into his hair, Obito breathlessly asked him to repeat the action.

In the end though, it was Kakashi who just couldn’t wait any longer. Impatient, he pushed back against Obito’s cock, longing to feel it inside him again. With a breathy chuckle the outlaw reached into a small pile of belongings beside the bed and produced some oil which he took his sweet time applying, slow and sensuous, enough to drive Kakashi mad with want. Then finally, and only when he begged, did he allow Kakashi to slide onto him, giving him time to adjust to the stretch before trying out a tentative thrust.

It grazed across something _good_ and Kakashi swallowed a cut-off gasp. Looking pleased with himself, Obito repeated the motion, slow enough to give Kakashi time to stop it if he wanted to.

He didn’t.

Eyes on him then, Obito settled his hands on the sheriff’s hips, guiding an unhurried rhythm to their movements. He seemed to enjoy watching, and Kakashi didn’t mind. Seeing Obito on his back, long dark hair spread out around his head, a slight pink flush on his cheeks, was reward enough. He could happily stare at _that_ all night.

In the stillness of the tent time seemed to slip away, taking with it unimportant concepts like responsibility and duty. Instead Kakashi’s entire world narrowed to focus on their desperate breaths, the burning heat of Obito’s hands on his skin, and the molten warmth deep in his stomach building to an irrepressible climax. The outlaw slowed his movements then, sitting up so Kakashi was straddling his lap, with Obito’s arms around him, face nuzzled against his neck.

It was the same desire for intimacy Kakashi remembered from their first night together, and he’d loved it just as much then. The outlaw still had that distinctive flinty gunsmoke scent, with a hint of sweat, horses, and something subtly spiced beneath it that was so unmistakeably _him_. Kakashi pressed his face into Obito’s ebony hair, breathing it in, utterly entranced.

Using one hand to get himself off, he watched as the outlaw leaned back, eyes closed, biting down on his bottom lip between ragged gasps. From on top Kakashi was able to control the angle and depth of the thrusts to hit just the right spot, again and again. An overwhelming pressure was beginning to knot tightly inside him, and he slowed his strokes to keep it teetering on the edge of brilliance, waiting until they could lose themselves _together_.

Then Obito’s eyelashes began to flutter and he gripped Kakashi’s hips tightly, pulling him down into jerky upward thrusts, that were _oh so good_ … Chasing the sweet sensation of release, Kakashi moved with him, bottoming out with each thrust until suddenly Obito held him nearly still, breathing a needy loud groan into his skin. Kakashi huffed a laugh against his neck, because if anyone was going to wake the camp, it was Obito, not him.

‘Oh shut up,’ Obito gasped breathlessly, as though reading his mind.

Then suddenly there was another hand on Kakashi’s cock, and the sensation became all too much for his oversensitive nerves. With expert precision, Obito swiped a finger just beneath the head and the pressure inside Kakashi spilled over, spreading a pulsing warmth _everywhere_. It curled his toes, sent shivers down his spine, and he fell against the other man helplessly, crying out his name.

‘That’s more like it,’ Obito remarked smugly, though his own voice sounded equally unsteady.

It was wonderful - everything Kakashi had imagined it would be and more - because it was real… _they_ were real, they belonged to each other, and nothing else mattered. An overwhelming sensation of contentment washed over him, like everything was right with the world.

What felt like hours passed before they bothered to move – and then only far enough to clean up a little and curl around each other again underneath the blankets. Obito kissed him then, soft and sleepy in the afterglow of passion between their sweat-soaked bodies. Kakashi held him close, enjoying it all the more for knowing that this time, Obito wasn’t going to leave. For better or worse, he would wake up next to the outlaw tomorrow morning and they would deal with the consequences of this together, good or bad.

‘I can’t believe you thought I didn’t like you,’ Kakashi remarked, softly stroking the hair behind Obito’s ear.

He huffed indignantly. ‘Well you’re not exactly easy to read.’

Choking back the laugh that threatened to escape his throat, Kakashi settled for a raised eyebrow instead. Because if _he_ was hard to read, he’d hate to see how Obito dealt with actual subtlety.

‘Who’s the idiot now?’ he asked gently, even though something told him Obito was referring to a whole lot more than just Kakashi's desire to sleep with him.

Obito looked him straight in the eye, deadpan. ‘Still you… Bakakashi.’

Baka- _what_?

‘Bakakashi?’ he repeated, trying to get his mouth – and head - around the word.

‘Because you’re _my_ idiot,’ the man elaborated, lazy fingers kneading at the muscles of Kakashi’s shoulders pleasantly.

It was a play on words using his name, Kakashi realised. Insulting, but clever all the same. And a hell of a lot better than _princess_.

But at his silence Obito sighed, deflating somewhat. ‘Let me guess, you don’t want me to call you that either?’

Quickly, Kakashi grabbed his hand and brought it to his lips, smiling. ‘No… I actually kind of like it. Uniquely insulting… seems about right coming from you.’

A satisfied smile lit Obito’s face. Playfully, he pushed Kakashi against the blankets, using his weight to pin him down and smother him with kisses, until finally the sheriff gave in and lay still. But as nice as cuddling with Obito was, there was still a nagging uncertainty in the back of Kakashi’s mind, about what he’d said this afternoon. And it was demanding an explanation.

‘Obito…’ he began.

As though sensing the change in tone of his voice the outlaw shifted, peering down at him through the darkness. ‘Yes?’ he said hesitantly.

Kakashi’s resolve wavered. He wished he could think of a more tactful way to word the question. But there really wasn’t one. ‘What you said this afternoon… about your uncle. Was it true? Did you really kill him?’

Obito stiffened, and it hurt to be forcing it on him like this, but Kakashi absolutely _had_ to know. Already though, he regretted the way the outlaw pulled away from him, defeat evident in his tone.

‘It’s true. I did.’

It wasn’t the answer Kakashi had been wanting to hear. Dread settled into his chest, dark and heavy, and worse for what they’d just done. For everything he still hoped they could be.

‘Why?’ he asked a little brokenly, hoping against reason there might still be a decent explanation behind it all.

Obito was silent for a long time. Then in a halting voice, he said, ‘I think to understand that, you need to understand what kind of man my uncle was.’

Searching for Obito’s hand in the dark, Kakashi squeezed it, making a quiet noise of encouragement. Whatever the explanation involved, no matter how bad… He needed to hear it.

The outlaw sighed. ‘Have you heard of the Uchiha Madara gang?’

It was a pointless question really, because who _hadn’t_ heard of the Uchiha Madara gang?

‘The ones responsible for the rape of Uzushio, and extermination of Butsuma Senju and his tribe at Prospectors Creek,’ Kakashi offered.

‘Well,’ Obito said, tone grim, ‘You have a pretty good idea of what my uncle was like then.’

And suddenly, Kakashi put two and two together. Dark features, wild hair…

‘Wait,’ he gasped. ‘Your uncle was _the_ Uchiha Madara?’

Obito’s fingers clenched into a fist beneath his own. ‘Yes.’

That explained _so_ much.

And none of it good.

Madara had been beyond notorious in his day. Feared across the country for his unstable temperament and vicious cruelty, he’d headed a gang whose violent exploits were still the stuff of nightmares today. Nicknamed the Scourge of the West, they’d swept through towns and cities like a plague, leaving an inevitable burning trail of destruction in their wake.

At the time, law enforcement across multiple states had been helpless against them, numbers slowly dwindling due to casualties, and a populace too afraid to make a stand against a monster. Show your head above the wall, and you might just lose it. Blend in, and there was safety in numbers.

Regardless, if you valued your life, civilian or lawman, you looked the other way when Uchiha Madara rode into town. Even now, some of the older sheriffs and marshals still spoke of those days with furtive glances and hushed whispers, as though merely invoking Madara’s name might see him return for vengeance. But one day, at the peak of his reign of terror, Madara had just disappeared. Gone – overnight - though no body or explanation had ever been found.

In the aftermath his gang had fallen apart, gradually drifting their separate ways, though Kakashi seemed to recall most of them had ended up dead in the years that followed. Grisly misadventure for the most part – or so it had been ruled at the time. Though perhaps that too was more than mere coincidence, he thought, gaze lingering on Obito’s guilty expression.

To think he’d grown up in an environment like _that_ … Well, it was nothing short of a miracle he was as functional as he was.

Settling a hand over his scarred cheek, Kakashi pressed their foreheads gently together. ‘Obito I’m so sorry…’

 _For doubting you_ , he wanted to say. _For everything you must have gone through…_

Some of the tension the other man had been carrying seemed to ease. He released an unsteady breath, allowing his weight to settle back over Kakashi as though no longer afraid he might try to run away. Slowly, he moved his hands to cup Kakashi’s cheeks, finally meeting his gaze.

‘My uncle was a bastard,’ he said simply, unapologetically, and without regret. ‘He deserved everything he got. But he did teach me one thing.’

‘What was that?’

Obito’s grip tightened, eyes imploring, searching for reassurance in Kakashi’s face. ‘That I wanted to be a better man than he was.’

Something bright flared in Kakashi's chest then, demanding a response. There was no way he could resist a sentiment like that. _Grateful, relieved, overjoyed_ …  he kissed Obito full on the lips, not holding anything back.

‘Why didn’t you just tell me?’ he scolded when they eventually separated. ‘Instead of making it sound the way you did.’

Obito shook his head, expression still serious. ‘Because… knowing the circumstances doesn’t change what I did, or who I _am_ , and I didn’t want to lie to you Kakashi. I’m sick of people chasing after me with their expectations. Wanting me to be the villain they read about in the papers, or someone for them to redeem, or just an exciting diversion for a while. But not once does any of them stop to ask what I want. They don’t care who I am, only what they’re getting in return. You were the only person who ever came to me without an agenda. Who just wanted me for _me_.’

Kakashi cleared his throat a little awkwardly. ‘You do realise I was there to arrest you right?’

Obito snorted, ‘Of course I know that. What I mean is… after everything we did, you didn’t even ask me to spare your life. You just asked to stay. And to see me again. I guess it made me feel… normal. And like you were probably an idiot.’

‘ _Your_ idiot now,’ Kakashi reminded him, just to be an ass, even though there was a warm contented glow spreading throughout him at Obito’s words.

‘My idiot,’ the outlaw repeated, with a disbelieving smile.

‘You could have made it easier though. I would’ve happily slept with you the first night you brought me in.’

‘I didn’t want that.’

Kakashi gave him a sideways look.

‘I mean I did obviously.’ The outlaw clicked his tongue in frustration. ‘But not like that. I wanted to give you the chance to get to know me first. And I hoped that even when you did, you’d still want this.’

Kakashi slid his arms around the man’s waist. ‘Oh, I want it.’

‘Then you’ll stay?’ Obito asked softly, looking like he didn’t dare hope.

And as stupid as it was, Kakashi wanted to say yes. Even though it was dangerous, and put everything he’d built for himself at risk. But after tonight, it no longer felt like the world was what was waiting for him back in Konoha - it was here in this moment, in a small tent beneath the infinite expanse of stars, with the man offering him everything he was. And even though Kakashi knew he couldn’t promise forever, he _wanted_ to, and for now, that had to be enough.

‘For now,’ he said, lacing his fingers through Obito’s.

And it was like the outlaw understood, because he didn’t ask for more than that. For more than Kakashi could give. And for that, he was grateful.

‘What about Konan though? I don’t think she likes me very much.’

Obito chuckled. ‘Don’t worry about her. She’s just overprotective of the gang because it’s all her and Nagato have. But she’ll come around in time. Earn her trust and you’ll have a loyal partner for life.’

Somehow Kakashi got the feeling that was going to be easier said than done. And that the opposite was equally possible. But as he drifted into sleep, nestled in Obito’s arms, it didn’t seem to matter very much.

***

The next time he opened his eyes it was to the first light of a new day, falling in dappled shadows that danced across the canvas of the tent, and over the sleeping figure next to him. Smiling, he rolled to face Obito, taking in his delightfully tousled hair and the very obvious red mark adorning his throat – a souvenir from last night. He’d left his own marks too, in darkening bruises where he’d gripped Kakashi's hips just a little too enthusiastically. But it was okay. Better than okay in fact. 

 _Perfect_.

Unable to resist, Kakashi reached out, gently running his fingers over the contours of Obito’s muscles. It was still hard to believe this was truly real. That the man in front of him was really _his_.

Slowly, the outlaw stirred. ‘Morning Bakakashi,’ he mumbled, looping an arm around Kakashi's waist and pulling him against his chest.

It was an irresistibly affectionate action, and the way he carried it out so unconsciously reinforced Kakashi’s belief that his choice to stay had been the right one. Featherlight, he kissed the man’s face, unable to help a further smile when he immediately scrunched it up.

‘Urngh,’ Obito grumbled incoherently.

Definitely not a morning person then… But he was going to have to be if he didn’t want the rest of the camp to know about _them_ , and what they’d just spent all night doing.

‘Hey Obito…’

Looking unimpressed, Obito cracked an eye open. ‘What?’

‘Do you want me to... sneak out of here before the others wake up?’

‘Why?’

‘I just thought maybe you’d prefer if they didn’t know.’

That seemed to get the his attention.

Propping himself up on one elbow, Obito frowned. ‘Do you not want them to?’

‘Me?’ Kakashi shrugged. ‘I don’t care. But I wasn’t sure if they were aware of…’ he trailed off, settling for waving his hand airily between them.

The outlaw stared at him blankly for a couple of seconds, then burst out laughing.

‘What?’ Kakashi asked, confused.

Still shaking silently, Obito rolled on top of him, spreading out comfortably like a blanket. When he did finally manage to speak, it was chin resting on Kakashi's chest, gazing up at him with impossibly warm eyes.

‘Just stay.’

There wasn’t the slightest trace of doubt in his voice.

Any misgivings Kakashi had seemed to dissipate as though they’d never existed. ‘Alright.’

Apparently satisfied, Obito settled back against him like he was a pillow. Before long, his breathing slowed, indicating he’d fallen asleep again. In absent-minded contentment, Kakashi carded his fingers through the man’s hair. He wasn’t usually one for sleeping in – in Konoha there was always _something_ that needed his attention – but lazy mornings with company like this? Now _that_ was something he could get used to.

Together, sheriff and outlaw dozed until shafts of raw sunlight illuminated the side of the tent, and the noise of the gang cooking breakfast drifted by on an already too-warm breeze. They dressed then, and Obito paused by the entrance of the tent, offering Kakashi his hand. With fingers clasped, they made their way towards the barn, where the members of Akatsuki were sitting with various states of hangover.

One by one, heads turned.

Just when Kakashi was certain absolutely _everyone’s_ eyes were on them, Obito leaned in and kissed him, tongue and all. Surprised but unashamed, he kissed back, immediately grasping the purpose behind the action. It was brief but passionate. Then Obito grinned brightly – a smile just for Kakashi – and, arm wrapped firmly around his waist, turned to address the gang.

‘As you can see, Kakashi’s not just here to help us find the brothers. He’s here because he’s my boyfriend.’

A pleasant thrill raced through Kakashi. _Boyfriend_. He liked how that sounded coming from Obito.

Staring pointedly at Konan, Obito paused briefly before adding, ‘So if anyone has a problem with _him_ , they have a problem with _me_.’

The woman’s eyes narrowed and Kakashi could tell she wasn’t entirely happy with the ultimatum. But when she gave a small shrug and looked away, he also knew she wouldn’t challenge it.

From the rest of the gang there was absolute silence. Then-

‘Fuck yeah Tobi!’ Hidan yelled, about five volumes too loud, punching the air. Next to him Deidara groaned and placed his hands over his ears. The explosives expert looked significantly worse for wear – pale, limp, and staring morosely into the bucket by his feet, while Sasori watched over him.

The response from the rest of the gang was far more enthusiastic. Kisame wolf-whistled, shooting them a toothy grin, Nagato smiled amiably, Itachi offered congratulations, and Zetsu danced around throwing flowers over their heads, grinning like the lunatic he possibly was. But no one seemed the slightest bit bothered by their leader’s choice in partner.

‘See?’ Obito whispered smugly, ‘I told you not to worry.’

‘You were right,’ Kakashi conceded, rolling his eyes.

Grinning wickedly, the outlaw pulled him close again, leaning forward until their noses were nearly touching, voice low. ‘I always am… Bakakashi.’

Before Kakashi could think of an appropriately smartass reply to that, a shadow fell over them both.

‘If you love-birds are quite done, I think it’s time for us to move on.’

Kakuzu pointed towards the homestead. Kakashi followed his finger to see the small figure of Chiyo, scowling from the doorway. And healer or not, she looked like she might seriously be contemplating murder. 

Obito made a face, obviously less than enthused by the prospect. ‘Good plan,’ he muttered, turning back to the rest of the gang and effortlessly commanding their attention. ‘Alright everyone! Eat up and pack up. We ride out in an hour.’

‘To where?’ Nagato inquired.

‘Yeah what’s the plan now?’ Hidan asked, looking up eagerly like – at a guess – he was hoping it involved blood.

The man at Kakashi’s side grinned, looking like he was on top of the world. ‘We have two whole months until we’re due in Suna. I suggest we use them to do what we do best.’

A ripple of anticipation ran through the assembled outlaws. Hands moved to weapons, dishonest smiles spread like wildfire, and the party atmosphere from the previous evening came vividly alive again.

Obito settled his arm comfortably over Kakashi’s shoulders, seeming to address him almost more than the rest of the gang. ‘Let’s go cause some trouble, Akatsuki style!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI I’m going to be taking a break from this fic for a bit to write some content for Kakaobi week in Feb. Unfortunately I just don’t have the spare time to write more than one story at a time. But don’t worry, after Feb I’ll be back for the last two chapters, and I can’t wait to share what’s in store for these two boys!
> 
> Then it’s a toss-up which WIP will see the light of day next – some Itashi or another Obikaka pairing that’s still in the very early stages of planning. I haven’t decided yet. But feel free to share your opinion!


	5. A Matter of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang spend a short interlude in Ame. Kakashi learns more about their history. Obito proposes a compromise.

Obito stirred in his sleep, snuggling into Kakashi’s chest. Stretched out and at ease, Kakashi shifted to accommodate him, watching the subtle rise and fall of his breath with a soft smile. Silently, he willed himself to resist the temptation to reach out and brush the hair off Obito’s forehead, or trace the subtle curve of his lips.

It was easier said than done.

Mornings like this, it was all too easy to forget the transient nature of the present, and lose himself in the fantasy that this life actually belonged to him. That his place was by Obito’s side, living in the moment, unburdened by cares or responsibilities. It had easily been the most perfect month of Kakashi’s life.

Who would’ve thought? Running with a notorious gang of criminals by day, and by night…

He leaned down and pressed a small kiss to the corner of Obito’s mouth. With a sleepy grunt the outlaw slipped an arm around Kakashi’s middle. Eyes still closed he met Kakashi’s mouth with his own, lazy and sensual, and a slow heat began to diffuse outward from Kakashi’s stomach. Mornings like this were the _best_ …

With a breathless chuckle Obito rolled on top of him, pinning his wrists against the blankets.

Something hot and hard slipped between Kakashi’s thighs.

‘Again?’ he murmured, moving against it suggestively.

Obito all but growled, mouth curving into a delightfully wicked grin. ‘Is there a problem with that _sheriff_?’

He kissed his way down Kakashi’s neck, lingering in the areas that drew needy huffed half-breaths, and Kakashi wrapped his legs tightly around Obito’s thighs, seeking a way to anchor them. To freeze this moment in time. How could something – _someone_ – so wonderful be mere mortal? Just flesh and blood like everyone else. More to the point, what had Kakashi done to deserve him?

‘No problem,’ he murmured, tilting his head back to allow Obito better access and shuddering pleasantly at the result.

Two halves of the same soul finding each other - that’s what people said love was. So… was this love? Because Kakashi had never felt closer to anyone in his entire life.

‘Good,’ Obito whispered beside his ear, ‘Because I think we’ve got just enough time before the rest of the gang wake up…’

***

Packing up camp was a familiar ritual by now. The gang worked together like a well-oiled machine, loading tents, guns, cooking utensils and personal belongings onto a wagon in less time than it took to rob a bank. Or so Kakuzu proudly claimed.

As the sun rose they would already be mounted and on their way to explore some new corner of Akatsuki’s domain. From the forests of the far north-east, to the wide open plains of grass-county, Kakashi hadn’t done so much travelling since he first made the journey west. It was the adventure he’d always wanted, with the partnership he’d longed to find.

Yet for all that, happiness sat uneasy in his heart.

Obito had been shielding him from the gang’s exploits – perhaps out of respect for his profession, or concern that if Kakashi saw what they really did for a living he wouldn’t stick around.

Either way, it was a status quo he knew couldn’t persist.

The gang had to eat, and every member had to pull their weight. Sooner or later, Kakashi would need to get involved. But he suspected neither he nor Obito had really thought through how that would work.

Then there was the problem of time. He’d promised to stay as long as Akatsuki were hunting the brothers. But that date was rapidly approaching, and the closer it got, the less Kakashi found himself able to imagine a life without Obito in it. Sheriffs couldn’t lead double lives as a gang members, and Obito was in too deep to go ever straight. If the law caught up with him, he’d hang for sure.

It was an impossible situation.

So Kakashi did what he’d spent every day since leaving Konoha doing - trying not to think about it. Trusting in fate a solution would present itself.

‘You look serious.’ Obito said, pulling Kamui up beside him. ‘Trying to solve the world’s problems again?’

Doing his best to project a reassuring smile Kakashi tried to sound confident, hoping Obito wouldn’t notice the uncertainty beneath it. ‘Not exactly.’

For the barest second, he was almost certain saw his own fears reflected in Obito’s eyes. But the outlaw, much like him, seemed to have decided the best way to deal with uncertainty was simply not to face it.

‘Next town’s just over the ridge,’ he suggested with a crooked smile. ‘I’ll race you there.’

Raising a skeptical brow like the whole thing was beneath him, Kakashi surreptitiously adjusted his weight in the saddle, gripping the reins a little tighter. Hoping Obito would buy into his act. Then, without warning, he and Biscuit flew off the mark. ‘See you there!’

‘Hey!’ Obito called after them.

Hooves pounded across the dirt, chasing the horizon. Nothing before them but freedom. Nothing behind them but the shackles of society’s expectations – the gilded cage Kakashi had once called a life.

A shadow slid up beside him. ‘You didn’t think you’d get away _that_ easily did you?’ Obito asked, expression smug as Kamui effortlessly outpaced Biscuit.

She might be a sprinter, but Biscuit had staying power.

Kakashi smiled. ‘Maybe I wasn’t trying to get away from you.’

Obito tossed his head back, laughing joyfully, hat tumbling on air currents at the end of its tether. Framed by the sharp light of morning, his hair was as dark as the desert sky at night, eyes shining like the thousands of stars that adorned it.

Kakashi wished this moment could last forever.

But Obito spurred Kamui on, pulling just far enough ahead to make it look like he was trying, without actually leaving Kakashi behind. Side by side they raced across the plains, sliding into town windswept, dusty, and breathless with exuberance. Obito leapt off Kamui then, chivalrously offering Kakashi his hand before very unchivalrously using it to spin him around, pin him against a wall and kiss him again.

‘-yeah well I was saying that to Sasori and… ugh!’

The rest of the gang emerged from around the corner, Deidara coming to an abrupt halt when he saw what Obito and Kakashi were doing.

Kisame sniggered, prodding him in the back. ‘What’s that you were saying about getting a good night’s sleep Deidara?’

Deidara screwed up his face. ‘I fucking wasn’t!’ he spluttered, pointing an accusatory finger their way. ‘You two… _Every_ goddamn night. I need earplugs!’

Pushing back off the wall, Obito grinned in the way that Kakashi knew meant he was pleased, even if he didn’t sound it. ‘Oh get over it Deidara. Just because you’re not getting any.’

The blond looked like he might explode.

‘Hey Tobi,’ Nagato interrupted, tone serious. ‘There’s a wanted poster here with Kakashi’s face on it.’

‘What?’ Obito snapped, stiffening.

Konan peered over Nagato’s shoulder, making a noise of interest. ‘He’s right,’ she said. ‘It’s definitely Kakashi.’

‘What?’ Obito repeated tonelessly. He stomped over, tore the poster off the wall and stared at it like he’d never considered it a possibility.

A cold shiver ran down Kakashi’s spine. He joined the others in staring down at a likeness that was unmistakably his. Maybe the facial proportions were a bit crude, the scar a little too prominent, but there was no way anyone could miss his distinctive silver hair. Or the description of a softly spoken man, wanted for “association” with the Akatsuki gang.

He chanced a look at Obito. The outlaw’s anger was almost a visible thing, roiling dangerously just below the surface. For his part though Kakashi couldn’t claim he hadn’t foreseen this. He’d just thought it would take a lot longer for the authorities to catch on.

Konan shrugged, nonchalant, like having a bounty on your head was a perfectly normal part of life. ‘Well I suppose he can join us on jobs now. There’s no reason to protect him anymore, right Tobi?’

Obito’s fingers curled into a fist. He scrunched up the poster and shoved it into his pocket - as though by doing so he could make it disappear. Almost imperceptibly, his hands shook. Worrying, no doubt, what it meant for _them_. Because as much as Kakashi wished he could stay, he still needed a life to go back to at the end of it all. When the dream was over.

And Obito _knew_ it.

‘He has to pull his weight Tobi. Just like the rest of us,’ Konan insisted. ‘You can’t ignore this.’

With a dark scowl on his face, Obito shoved straight past her. ‘Watch me.’

***

They rode into Amegakure two days later.

Unable to offer a reasonable explanation to a gang of criminals as to why Kakashi having a bounty concerned him, Obito did his best to appear normal. But his unease was more than evident, even if he didn’t say anything. It was in the abnormally quiet and brooding manner he adopted when they were alone. The way he gripped Kakashi just a little too tightly in the throes of their passion - as if by doing so he could prevent the world taking his lover from him.

But there was nothing either of them could do about it.

Instead, it lingered - an awkward, unspoken weight between them. Obito waiting for the answer to a question he hadn’t yet asked, and Kakashi unable to decide what the answer should even be.

So began his real introduction to life with Akatsuki.

Ame was a curious place. Sited at the confluence of three major rivers, it was more a city than a town, complete with paved streets, gas streetlights, and buildings of hewn stone. People walked the streets in top hats and fashionable dresses, discussing everything from the economy to the latest society gossip. Feeling desperately underdressed and suddenly in need of a bath, Kakashi couldn’t help but feel like everyone’s eyes were on him. How did Akatsuki live like this? At any second one of these people could recognise him - or any of them - and call in the law. They’d all be in cells long before they had a chance to plead innocence.

But no one paid them any mind. Obito even smiled and tipped his hat as they passed by a uniformed deputy, and the man cheerfully returned the gesture. Keep your nose clean, and it seemed Ame had no quarrel with you.

But as they passed from the clean streets of the city centre toward its grimy underbelly near the riverside docks, the character of the settlement changed. Here the buildings were of a flimsier wood construction, the people looked tired and careworn, and there were men in uniform everywhere. They wore strange breathing masks, and Kakashi tried not to stare as they passed by.

‘Hanzō’s personal guard,’ Obito muttered darkly. ‘The masks protect them from the poison they carry. You could say he’s a little paranoid.’

They kept their heads down until the guards were well out of sight. Along a twisting path and down a dirty alleyway that looked like a good spot to be murdered, then Obito guided them to a stop beside a decrepit stable building. The gang dismounted, and Konan approached the door, rapping a distinctive rhythm on it with her knuckles.

It opened. A short man with a suspicious mousy face peered out, casting a furtive glance past her and into the street beyond. Apparently satisfied with whatever he saw, he grinned broadly and threw the door open wide, addressing Konan directly.

‘Welcome back leader.’

***

It was just about the last thing Kakashi had expected - an organised resistance to Hanzō’s leadership, with Konan and Nagato at the centre. Run from a tiny firelit room in the poorest district of a city of criminals, to stand against one of the most ruthless and powerful men in the country.

The mousy man’s name was Kyūsuke, and as he organised dinner for the gang, two other men – Kie and Daibutsu also introduced themselves. They were all Akatsuki – the _original_ Akatsuki, formed in response to Hanzō’s spectacular fall from grace. Or so Kie explained to Kakashi anyway.

Once a well-loved hero of the county who’d made his name standing up for small-town rights against the power of central government, in the end, the absolute power Hanzō had obtained corrupted him. He became paranoid of others, suspecting even his ardent supporters of plotting behind his back. Reclusive in the extreme, and surrounded at all times by a special force of loyal guards, he sold out to the very powers he’d once fought against to maintain his own privileged position.

On his watch, criminality ran rife alongside the worst excesses of government and high society, transforming Ame into the infamous melting pot of treachery Kakashi was familiar with. But to Hanzō, nothing else had mattered except keeping his grip on power. Anyone who helped him do that – law-abiding or otherwise – was welcome to do as they pleased in his city. The only law that mattered was Hanzō.

And amidst all this infighting and chaos, Konan and Nagato had come of age.

Believing in Hanzō’s original dream of peace, and a better life for everyday citizens, they’d formed Akatsuki to fight back however they could. In time, their names had even become well-known throughout the city.

 _Too_ well-known.

Jealous, or perhaps fearing the influence of those over which he had no control, Hanzō had taken revenge. One nearly-successful assassination attempt later, Nagato and Konan were forced to run to save their own lives.

The story caught Kakashi by surprise. Framed as such, Konan began to make so much more sense to him. The distrust and suspicion… the hard-ass attitude… it all came from _here_. It was what had kept her and Nagato alive.

Obito might run the gang, but Konan ruled Ame.

Smoke from the fire drifted through the air, lending the room a hazy glow.

‘What can we do to help?’ Konan asked in the serious and composed tone Kakashi had previously mistaken for indifference.

But she wasn’t indifferent at all, he realised. Anything but.

Kie pressed his fingers together over the table. ‘Hanzo’s having a party tomorrow night.’

Obito grinned. ‘You want us to crash it?’ he asked, looking hopeful.

Konan shot him a disparaging look, and he shrugged as though to say he’d thought it was a reasonable idea. But she was taking this seriously, even if he wasn’t.

‘No,’ Kie continued, ‘But the guards will all be at his mansion. So it’s the perfect opportunity to break into his offices. There’s a lot of money there which we could… re-distribute.’

No one spoke while Konan mulled over the suggestion. Then slowly, she nodded. ‘It’s a good plan, but risky. Nagato, what do you think?’

Stepping out from the shadows where he’d been lurking in the corner of the room, Nagato cleared his throat softly. ‘I think if we can help, we should.’

A long lingering look passed between the two, then, expression steeled with resolve, Konan turned back to Kie. ‘We’ll do it.’

A map of the office was quickly passed around, a plan made, and roles assigned. Nagato and Zetsu would act as lookouts, Deidara would blow the back door, Sasori was the getaway driver, and the rest of the gang would provide muscle and firepower. Even Kakashi would be involved, albeit in a non-combative role Obito was careful to secure for him. His duty was to help guard any hostages the gang took.

Even the idea of doing that much made him feel uncomfortable, though he knew his participation was no longer up for debate. If he wanted to earn his place in the gang, he had to share their responsibilities. It was a truth even Obito couldn’t talk his way out of.

He whispered as much to Kakashi as they lay together on a makeshift bed of hay in the stable later that night, surrounded by the snores of the rest of the gang. Snuggling closer, Kakashi murmured reassurances, even as he struggled to silence his own misgivings. Something about this place – this city – felt stifling. He longed to be rid of it, and return to the freedom of the world beyond. But even there, they couldn’t outrun time.

_One more month._

***

When he woke, Obito was already gone. Konan too.

Instead, Nagato met him at breakfast. ‘I thought you might like to go for a walk,’ he suggested.

Glad for any excuse to get out of their claustrophobic lodgings, Kakashi acquiesced. ‘Why not?’

Nagato led them through the winding streets, moving slowly but surely despite his odd gait. The signs of poverty were everywhere – the sick and diseased, beggars, too-thin children foraging from bins side-by-side with mangy dogs. But with it – and somehow inseparable – there was life. Women carried babies, chatting and smiling as they bought produce from vendors. Young couples walked hand in hand as they whispered and giggled together in the sunlight.

‘This is where I grew up,’ Nagato remarked, expression softening as they meandered toward a quieter section of town.

‘It must have been tough,’ Kakashi said sympathetically.

‘Perhaps.’ Nagato smiled. ‘But I’ve always found the connections you make in adversity are the strongest.’ He walked purposefully, as though drawn onward by some invisible force.

‘Where are we going?’ Kakashi asked.

‘To see an old friend.’

They passed an old rosebush, gnarled and twisting as it climbed the side of a building. Here, Nagato paused momentarily, inhaling the lingering scent of the flowers. He snapped a particularly pristine white bloom from the plant and tucked it securely in his breast pocket, then continued onward. A couple of minutes later the cobbled street around them opened into a well-manicured park area, strewn with simple grey slabs of stone.

Nagato turned to Kakashi. ‘I hope you don’t mind.’

The purpose of the rose became clear.

‘No, not at all,’ Kakashi assured him.

Lush green trees sheltered the gravestones, with simple bouquets and other tokens scattered between them. Nagato wandered to the far corner of the site, leading them to a small nondescript stone plaque, half-sunken into the dirt. Here he lowered himself to the ground with difficulty, bad leg stretched out in front of him as he brushed away years of soil and lichen from stone’s surface.

‘I always try and come here whenever we’re in town,’ he explained. ‘But it’s been too long. It’s not as easy as it was to visit.’

As he worked, a name gradually resolved itself from the stone.

‘Yahiko,’ Kakashi read out.

Nagato’s mouth slanted upward. ‘Yes.’

‘Someone you knew?’

‘As I said, a friend.’

‘Did… Hanzō get to him?’

A surprisingly cheerful laugh burst from Nagato’s chest at that, and he gave Yahiko’s grave a fond pat. ‘Oh nothing as exciting as that. He was only eleven years old after all. Just a child.’

From what Kakashi had heard, age was no protection from Hanzō’s wrath. But Nagato’s manner seemed too upbeat for that to have been the case.

‘No,’ he continued, a touch sentimental. ‘It was polio. The same outbreak that crippled my leg. Konan was the only one of us who didn’t get it – how I’ll never know how. Dozens of children died that summer, but she never got so much as a cold. So when Yahiko got sick… she refused to leave his side. She promised him he would get better.’

‘But he didn’t.’

‘No.’ Nagato sighed softly. ‘Yahiko was my best friend, but to Konan… he was something else. I saw the way her eyes lit up when he was around. He could always make her smile. She would have done anything for him.’

He pulled the rose from his pocket and laid it gently on the headstone. ‘Akatsuki was _his_ dream.’ With a sad smile he closed his eyes, lips moving silently as though in prayer.

Kakashi stood awkwardly to one side, watching as people moved between the graves. There was nothing in common between them. Young and old alike they were here, united only by the universality of death. It made him think of his father. Would he too have been one of these people, if there had been a grave to stand in front of?

It was several minutes later when Nagato finally opened his eyes, moving stiffly to rise. Kakashi helped him up, feeling as though he’d somehow intruded on something he had no place knowing about. But as returned the way they’d come, Nagato looked oddly at peace.

‘Do you know what I learnt the day Yahiko died?’ he asked, watching Kakashi with sombre eyes.

‘I don’t know… what?’

Nagato smiled cryptically. ‘That there are so many things in this world we can’t fight. Disease… death… the circumstances we are born into. So when you find something, or _someone_ , you can fight for, you have to do it. Otherwise you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it.’

He waited a moment, seeming to assess whether or not Kakashi had understood. Then with a final understated smile, humming cheerfully to himself, he continued down the street, leaving Kakashi to wonder for whose benefit the sentiment had really been intended.

***

Later that evening the gang gathered back at the stable for a briefing before the raid.

‘Please tell me we’re not actually going to kill people,’ Kakashi muttered to Obito, watching as Konan outlined the plan to the others.

He felt rather than saw as Obito shifted his weight from foot to foot. The expression on his face was shadowed, flickering in the light of the fire. ‘That depends on how much resistance we encounter.’

It wasn’t the answer Kakashi was hoping to hear.

‘Obito, I’m not going to kill anyone,’ he insisted.

The outlaw turned away. ‘Then I hope you won’t have to.’

‘That’s not an answer!’

Kakashi grabbed his arm, trying not attract the attention of the rest of the gang. Obito hissed, rounding on him in an angry whisper. ‘What do you want me to say? This is what we _do_. What we _are_. You knew that when you decided to follow us.’

‘Don’t treat me like I’m a member of this gang.’

‘Aren’t you?’

‘No.’

As soon as the statement passed his lips, Kakashi regretted it. Emotion flickered across Obito’s face, and for a second his usually composed façade slipped, revealing something far more raw and broken beneath it. Mouth tightening he tugged free of Kakashi’s grip.

‘Obito…’ Kakashi pleaded, softer, desperate for him to understand. ‘That’s not who I am. You _know_ that.’

But the outlaw set his shoulders, blank eyes fixed on the centre of the room. ‘Just listen to the briefing,’ he said.

***

The robbery itself went off without a hitch - right up until the gang tried to break into Hanzō’s safe anyway.

Easily the biggest object in his lavish office it proved both completely immovable, and utterly impervious to all of Kakuzu’s attempts to open it. ‘It’s a new design,’ he explained, pulling his ear away from where it rested against the door. ‘Built for bank vaults. I can crack it, but it’ll take time.’

‘How much time?’ Obito demanded, pacing back and forth in obvious agitation.

‘An hour maybe? Minimum?’

Obito scowled, ‘We can’t afford to wait that long.’

Eyebrows knit closely together he paced around the room once more before stopping in front of Deidara. ‘Can you blow it open?’

Looking surprisingly taken aback, Deidara scratched his head hesitantly. ‘Well of course un… but it’ll probably ruin at least part of the money inside. I thought we agreed blowing safes open was a bad idea after that incident in Kiri with the melted gold bars…’

Sighing in aggravation, Obito ran fingers through his long hair. ‘I see only one solution then,’ he said, unpleasant gravelly tone setting Kakashi’s teeth on edge.

Shoulders squared, the outlaw rounded on a short plump man who had been bound, gagged, and pushed to the far corner of the office. Withdrawing one of his distinctive engraved revolvers, he pushed it against the man’s head in much the same manner as he had during he and Kakashi’s first meeting. He loosened the gag just enough for man to speak, and in a disturbingly even tone that would have had Kakashi running for the hills had it been directed at him, stated, ‘The safe combination please.’

The man’s mouth worked open and closed. ‘I w.. won’t give… y… you anything.’

Kakashi really had to hand it to the office manager. He might be a stuttering, quivering mess who looked like he was about to piss his trousers, but beneath that he was obviously made of sterner stuff.

Expression darkening, Obito grabbed his collar, shaking him back and forth with every pointed word. ‘I thought I warned you about the consequences of resisting me?’

The man swallowed. ‘I still can’t give you anything. It’s more than my life’s worth to talk…’

‘Oh is it?’ Obito asked, eyes positively glowing with malice. ‘Then I suppose I’ll have to see how you feel about that after a little… convincing…’

Without warning he whipped the revolver across the manager’s face. There was a sickening crack and blood spilled freely from the man’s now uneven nose. He let out a broken cry.

Kakashi flinched. This wasn’t the Obito he thought he knew.

But without pause, Obito hit him again. ‘Give me the combination,’ he demanded, throwing the smaller man to the floor and looming over him.

Somehow, the manager still found the willpower to shake his head.

So Obito hit him again, this time splitting his cheek open.

Initial shock overcome by a wave of nausea spreading quickly from the pit of his stomach, Kakashi took an unsteady step backward. How could this be the same man whose company he’d spent the last month enjoying? The man he’d shared his bed with. His _body_. How could he do this to another human being? Someone who wasn’t even at fault… just terrified of his employer if he failed in his duty…

The rest of the gang were looking on like nothing was wrong. Like what Obito was doing was _normal_. Then the unpleasant thought hit him – maybe it _was_. Perhaps the apple hadn’t fallen so far from the tree after all…

Kakashi felt his breaths coming fast and shallow, barely lingering in a chest that felt uncomfortably tight, like he was drowning all over again. With every fibre of his being, he knew he couldn’t stay and be a part of this. He could explain to Obito later… he owed the outlaw that much. But this was a world he would never belong in. Could never choose.

The realisation _hurt_.

Slowly, he backed toward the door. Caught up as he was in his work, Obito didn’t even notice.

But Konan did.

She glared, eyes locked to his like a bird of prey watching its next meal, and Kakashi feared what she might do or say. But the out he’d anticipated never came. Instead, she sighed, then marched over to Obito, catching his arm before he had the chance to lay into the man again.

‘Enough.’

It was indisputably commanding. Glaring daggers at the interruption, Obito nonetheless allowed her to restrain him.

‘We’re not going to get the answer from him like this,’ Konan said, inclining her head at the bloody mess on the floor.

‘Then what do you suggest?’ Obito said.

‘Let me try something else.’

You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. But to Konan’s credit, she didn’t falter for a second. With an exaggerated huff, Obito acceded to her, wiping the blood from his knuckles onto his shirt.

‘Fine. But make it quick.’

‘I will,’ she assured him, turning dispassionately to the manager.

He squirmed under her gaze.

‘We caught five of your subordinates before we reached you,’ she announced, pulling a blade from her belt and twirling it skilfully around her fingers. ‘Way I see it, either they know something, or they’re expendable.’

‘You’re bluffing,’ the man gasped.

Konan shrugged, face a perfect mask of indifference. ‘You can take that chance if you want.’

The man’s expression wavered, but something – determination or fear perhaps – led him set his jaw anyway. ‘I won’t talk.’

‘Very well.' Konan purposefully made for the door, pausing only to shoulder-tap Kakashi as she passed by. ‘You, with me. This way.’

Aware refusal wasn’t an option Kakashi swallowed uncomfortably, briefly glancing at Obito in hopes of a reprieve. But if anything, he looked thrilled at Konan’s request. He shot Kakashi a tentative smile, motioning that he should follow.

Dreading whatever new horror was in store, Kakashi complied.

He trailed Konan back to the warehouse beneath Hanzō’s offices. It was enormous, containing an almost grotesque stockpile of foodstuffs, considering the poverty of the city outside. All for his own use, or distribution to a lucky few who won his favour, Konan had explained with a hint of bitterness when they first arrived.

Looking around, as much as Kakashi knew what the gang was doing was wrong, he couldn’t help but feel like the excess on display here was too. Did no one in this city have morals?

Konan came to a stop in front of a pile of grain-filled burlap sacks. Tied up and propped against them were the guards the gang had disabled on their way through. As their captors approached, the men’s eyes widened, and Kakashi felt sorry that he wasn’t able to help them.

Dragging the closest guard to standing, Konan pulled off his gag. ‘Tell me,’ she commanded, waving her knife in a threatening manner. ‘Do any of you know the combination to the safe?’

Desperately, her victim shook his head, expression pinched. ‘Only the manager knows.’

Cocking her head as though debating which man to kill first, she considered them. 

‘Please don’t hurt us,’ the captive pleaded, withering under her gaze. ‘We won’t resist, but we can’t give you information we don’t know.’

Konan smiled, bright and unsettling - a truly terrifying thing to behold. ‘That depends...' she mused. 'How well can you scream?’

A chill ran down Kakashi’s spine. She really wasn’t messing around.

The captive’s expression faltered. A garbled noise escaped his throat and he tried to step back – impossible with his bound ankles – and fell onto the pile of grain instead.

Konan laughed then, and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, addressed all of them. ‘I think you mistake me. The question is; how well can you _act_ to save your own life?’

Kakashi’s jaw dropped open. Confused, he stared at her, blinking as though she might’ve suddenly grown a second head. At a guess, his expression was probably just as surprised as those of the captives. Konan wasn’t threatening them, but offering them a _choice_? An option that didn’t involve death, or torture, or any of the other hundred or so horrible ends Kakashi had imagined between the stairs from the office and here? That was… unexpected.

‘Wait…’ the ungagged man gasped suddenly, gazing at Konan with newfound wonder. ‘I know you! You’re the one they call the Angel. You got medicine for my family. Saved my younger brother’s life.’

‘I help where I can,’ Konan replied evasively. ‘And I’m asking you to help me now.’

Kakashi breathed out in sweet, unbelievable relief. She hadn’t brought him down here to help her do something awful. She was showing him a different side to what the gang did. Letting him see the good that could come of it. The same quality he’d seen in her last night, and the same thing Nagato had implied at the cemetery today.

This was her cause, these were her people, and she believed in them just as much as Kakashi believed in justice.

So when she asked him to hand each of them each a burlap sack of grain, he didn’t hesitate. Working together, they punched and kicked at each in turn, producing realistic sounding dull thuds while the men moaned theatrically, crying for mercy. When Konan shouted at them to ‘give up the combination or be shot’, loud enough to hear from the office, Kakashi even joined in.

Several minutes into the “interrogation”, Konan pulled the original captive aside, asking if he would be willing to let her make a harmless cut to his hand to complete the effect. He agreed. Smearing both her and Kakashi’s hands with blood, she finished with several gunshots into the ceiling, then led Kakashi back to the office.

Obito beamed when they returned, looking Kakashi up and down and proclaiming with obvious pride, ‘We’ll make an outlaw of him yet!’

Kakashi didn’t have the heart to disagree.

The manager quickly dissolved into sobbing - anticipating his own fate most likely - and the safe combination was procured without further resistance. Sacks were stuffed full of money and gold, the gang made their getaway with five new recruits to Akatsuki in tow. They split before they reached the stable, each going their separate ways and leaving Sasori to transport the liberated funds to safety in a stolen wagon. It would be in pieces long before morning arrived - repurposed using parts from many others like it and offered to a family in need.

But before Kakashi could make his own departure, Konan pulled him aside. She waited until the other gang members had disappeared, then slammed him against the side of the stone building with unexpected force, fingers wrapped tightly around his throat.

Kakashi coughed, surprised and winded.

‘Don’t you even _think_ of running,’ she hissed, low and dangerous.

‘What?’ he spluttered, clawing at her fingers and gasping for air.

What had prompted this turnaround? He’d done everything she asked… worked as a team together…

‘I saw the way you looked at him back there.’

Her tone made it obvious _exactly_ which ‘him’ she was referring to, and Kakashi fell still. This wasn’t about anything he’d done. Not _yet_ anyway.

‘Why would you care?’ he choked out, unable to keep the resentment from his tone. ‘It wasn’t so long ago you were trying to get rid of me.’

The woman narrowed her eyes. ‘That’s fair. I _don’t_ like you,’ she agreed before inclining her head toward the direction the rest of the group had disappeared. ‘But _he_ does, and this gang has been my family for too long to argue with that.’

‘And _I_ didn’t sign up for what he did today!’

She glowered at him. ‘Can’t you see he’s just scared?’

‘Huh? Why would he be scared of an office manager?’

‘God you’re such a fucking idiot!’ she growled, shaking him by the neck as though it might make him understand. ‘I have no idea what he sees in you. And I _know_ there’s something the two of you aren’t telling me. But none of that matters. Just know if you do _anything_ to hurt him, I will pay it back… ten times over.’

After a moment for that to sink in, she shoved Kakashi roughly against the wall one final time before turning on her heel.

‘Konan… wait,’ Kakashi called hoarsely after her.

She paused, glancing back over her shoulder.

He rubbed at his aching neck, wondering if he even wanted the answer to the question he was about to ask. ‘If those men back there today hadn’t been willing to help… would you really have killed them?’

Konan shot him a scathing look. ‘What do _you_ think?’

***

Obito met him at a pre-arranged rendevous point by the river. Joyous in victory, he swept Kakashi off his feet, leaning in close for a kiss. Stiffening, Kakashi turned his head at the last second and Obito’s lips glanced off his cheek. The outlaw frowned, puzzled, but quickly brushed it off.

‘I have something special planned for us tonight!’ he enthused, taking Kakashi’s hand and leading the way to an upmarket hotel in one of the better parts of town.

Reluctantly, Kakashi followed, wondering how he was supposed to broach what he needed to say. But by the time they arrived, he still hadn’t figured it out. How did you tell someone their dream would never be? It was hard enough accepting the knowledge himself.

A distinguished stone façade gave way to a sumptuous interior, and a suite on the top floor, complete with the hot bath Kakashi had been longing for, and a view over the soft amber glow of the city. Obito obviously hadn’t spared any – admittedly, probably stolen – money when he’d organised this.

‘I thought it would be nice to have some time to ourselves,’ he suggested hopefully, tugging Kakashi toward the steaming copper tub.

‘Obito…’

It was a nice thought. It really was. And before what he’d witnessed tonight, Kakashi might have appreciated it. But all he could see now were Obito’s blood-stained knuckles, and the way he’d beaten that man senseless. Even Konan wasn’t that ruthless, as it turned out.

He pulled his hand away.

‘Obito, I don’t want this.’

The outlaw blinked. ‘You don’t want to stay in a fancy hotel? I mean, I suppose we don’t have to-’

‘No, I don’t want this,’ Kakashi gestured between them. ‘Us. Not if I have to watch you do what you did tonight.’

Obito looked like he’d been punched in the gut. ‘But… you said…’

‘I know what I said. And so do you. I _told_ you this wasn’t me.’

The outlaw clenched his fists. ‘And I seem to recall telling you this _was_ me!’

They glared at one another.

Even in anger, Obito was gorgeous. There was an edge to him, a danger, that just drew Kakashi in. Blood pounding in his ears he pressed on, aware he was treading on perilous ground, yet somehow unable to stop. ‘I won’t be an outlaw Obito.’

‘Then how do you expect this to work?’ Obito demanded, stalking towards him. ‘What do you want of me? To give up the life? Because in case you haven’t noticed, I _can’t_. The second I show my _very-recognisable_ face in law-abiding society I’ll be locked away and hanged!’

As if Kakashi didn’t realise as much. That knowledge had kept him awake every night since they reunited.

‘Don’t you think I know that?’ he said, struggling to keep his tone even. ‘But you’re using it as an excuse to do whatever you want. Acting like what I think doesn’t matter!’

They were both tense and ready now – like predators anticipating a fight - each poised for the other to make the first move.

‘Am I?’ Obito sneered, lip curling in distaste as he took a slow step closer, challenging.

Kakashi watched it, eyes narrowing, but determined to stand his ground. ‘Answer one question for me then,’ he said. ‘When you catch up with the brothers, are you planning to turn them over to the law?’

Another step, and Obito moved into range. He reached out with bloodied fingers, slowly and deliberately caressing them down Kakashi’s cheek.

Kakashi barely suppressed a shudder. It felt so _good_ , but he hated himself for it. The way his body was responding without being asked. The way he longed for more - surrendering to his basest instincts as though this terrible inevitability wasn’t hanging over them like a distant storm, thunder rumbling ominously on the horizon.

Obito smiled like he knew he’d won, leaning into Kakashi’s personal space until their noses were almost touching. So close that Kakashi could feel the huff of warm breath on his lips, see the faint lines around his mouth, and the way his eyes positively glowed when he replied, ‘No. But you already knew that.’

The outright brazenness of his response pissed Kakashi off. Lips curling back, he bared his teeth with a low growl of displeasure.

But if anything, that seemed to please Obito. Mouth quirking subtly upwards, he inched closer, forcing his lips against Kakashi’s - a declaration of dominance. A battle in all but name.

Still, Kakashi’s heart leapt in his chest. It made him feel _alive_. Desperate for more, he tugged Obito closer, unable to deny the magnetism between them.

Teeth against tongue, nails across skin. Gasping as Obito shoved him back against the tub, seating his ass on the edge and grinding against the gloriously sensitive area between his thighs. They were just _so good_ together…

The outlaw smelt of earth, horses, and something delicately floral from the steam that rose around them. Kakashi arched his back, instinctually wrapping his legs around Obito as the first ripples of pleasure shuddered through him. With a loud groan, Obito rucked Kakashi’s shirt up and brushed a thumb over rapidly hardening nipples.

This was wrong, it was wrong, it was wrong… it was _right_.

Giving in, Kakashi tipped his head back with a soft moan and Obito was immediately at his neck, nipping at all the right spots… God help him, the man could play him like a master musician…

‘See,’ Obito chuckled, hoarse and smug, ‘I knew you didn’t want to give this up.’

It cut through the mood like barbed wire through flesh. No matter how good he felt, Kakashi seethed at the attitude. In an unexpected flash of clarity, he drew his right hand into a fist and loosed it straight into Obito’s stomach.

Obito staggered backwards with a surprised huff.

The blow wasn’t hard enough to cause serious damage, but it _was_ more than enough to wind him momentarily.

‘Asshole,’ Kakashi spat. It served him goddamn right.

But his victory was short lived. Without Obito’s support he promptly overbalanced, falling backward into the bathtub.

For a second everything went dark, and Kakashi was reminded unpleasantly of his involuntary swim in the lake that had led to this entire predicament. Briefly, he wondered if Obito might even be inclined to complete the job this time. But when he re-emerged moments later, coughing and spluttering, the outlaw still had one hand over his stomach, watching Kakashi with obvious annoyance from across the room.

‘You’re an idiot,’ he accused between wheezes.

Pushing sopping wet hair out of his eyes, Kakashi pressed his lips tightly, waiting for the dangerous reprisal he expected was coming. ‘I know. Konan’s already told me once tonight.’

Obito raised a brow at that, as though weighing up the truth of the statement. Then he snorted, lips pulling into something resembling a wry smile. ‘Yeah, she’s good like that. Called me an asshole before you showed up too.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. Woman has a way with words.’

Quiet huff of amusement escaping before he could stop it, Kakashi sank back into the tub. The hot water really was heaven after weeks of accumulated dirt from camping and riding. And maybe – just _maybe_ – he wasn’t about to be murdered for his outburst after all. Though if he was, he might as well enjoy his last moments he thought, lying back properly.

Obito appeared by the edge of the tub, gazing at the water somewhat enviously. Cautiously, he sat on the rim, trailing his fingers through it until they grazed Kakashi’s skin through the rough fabric of his shirt. When Kakashi didn’t object, he picked up where he’d left off, gently teasing at a nipple.

‘Mmmm,’ Kakashi murmured appreciatively, feeling his blood rush immediately southwards. Frustrating or not, there really was something about Obito he found irresistible.

‘You know… I really wouldn’t mind getting in there with you,’ Obito suggested, still delightfully unsure. ‘I am quite dirty after all…’

‘Filthy, actually,’ Kakashi corrected, catching the outlaw’s one semi-clean hand and bringing it to his lips.

Obito smiled in amusement. ‘Very,’ he promised, a touch husky.

‘Well hurry up and get in then.’

In one smooth movement Kakashi grabbed him round the waist, pulling him into the tub with a splash, clothes and all.

Laughing joyously, Obito spread himself over Kakashi, just as he’d done so many nights since they reunited. ‘You know, you’re going to _have_ to get me out of these clothes now,’ he joked.

Wrapping his arms tightly around Obito’s waist, Kakashi slid his rapidly hardening erection very obviously along the other man’s thigh. ‘Oh I’m counting on it.’

Obito kissed him then, hot and breathy, repositioning so his own length fitted firmly against Kakashi’s own. Gazing at him in adoration, he began a long, slow stroke upward, dragging them against each other. Sighing, Kakashi slipped his hands to Obito’s ass, encouraging the motion. The friction of the cloth against skin was sweet torture, and it wasn’t long before Obito was shuddering with pleasure, eyes closed, gripping Kakashi’s shoulders for balance.

He was so beautiful like this - long dark hair spilling over his face, barely hiding the flush high on his cheeks. How had Kakashi ever thought to give this up?

‘Fuck I…’ Obito started, then stopped abruptly, shaking his head and gazing down with an uncharacteristically soft expression. ‘You absolute idiot,’ he finished.

‘Like you can talk, asshole,’ Kakashi replied, lifting one hand long enough to flick water at his face.

Grinning, Obito slid a hand down his pants, and Kakashi swallowed any further insults with a ragged gasp. Fingers teased slowly up and down his length and he whimpered, biting his lip, desperate for more.

‘Obito… please’

‘Mmm,’ the outlaw whispered beside his ear, shivering raggedly as he freed them both, massaging slowly and deliberately. ‘That’s more like it.’

Steam rose in lazy curls off the water’s surface, and Kakashi wasn’t sure if the sweat beading on his exposed skin was caused by the temperature, or what they were doing. He felt like he was on fire – a blissful slow burning inferno that threatened to envelop them both at the pace of Obito’s long, languorous strokes. The outlaw took his time, carefully drawing out their pleasure. But eventually - when unhurried sensuality became lost between one stroke and the next, replaced by a desperate fervour - they fucked right there in the tub - hot and heavy, faces flushed from the heat, panting with need. 

Obito was on him, around him… _in_ him, groaning with each thrust as Kakashi felt his muscles tense, barely holding him together against an overwhelming flood of feeling. He was falling apart slowly, but irrevocably, and taking Obito with him. They were day and night, fire and ice, oil and water - should never have been together, but worked all the better for it. 

His skin was tingling, limbs weak, and just when Kakashi thought he couldn’t possibly handle it any more, a molten heat coursed through his veins in racking bone-deep shudders. He clung to Obito, riding it out. The outlaw’s breathing shallowed noticeably, fingers tightening around Kakashi’s hips in response. He quickly picked up his own pace, moving in short incomplete thrusts before finishing with his own shivery moan, melting against Kakashi beneath him.

The two of them _together_ … it was mind-blowing, world-altering… the absolute _best_ …

When he finally came down from the high, tucked in the enormous bed with Obito curled protectively at his back, Kakashi knew he’d been wrong. He couldn’t let this go. Somehow, whatever it took, they had to make it work.

‘Obito?’ he whispered.

‘Mmmm?’

‘You were right. I don’t want to lose this.’

Arm creeping round his waist, Obito stretched out against him, humming like a contented cat. ‘So don’t.’

‘It’s not that simple.’

‘Isn’t it? You join me, and we ride the west together.’

Kakashi cringed. It felt like something in him died a little every time that suggestion was made. ‘I already told you, I’m not an outlaw. I never will be.’

A displeased sounding puff of air hit him between the shoulder blades. ‘What is it you have against outlaws?’

‘It’s not what I have against them, it’s just that… my dad was a marshal. Before he… died.’ Kakashi paused, swallowing. It still hurt to talk about, even after all these years. But Obito _needed_ to understand. ‘He was one of the best. At least that’s what his friends told me after he disappeared. They encouraged me to follow in his footsteps. To find a new future out here in the west. It’s all I’d ever wanted… until I met you.’

The arm around his waist tightened and Obito made a soft noise of comprehension. ‘ _That’s_ why you’re so determined.’

‘Yes.’

‘And why you want me to turn the brothers over for justice.’

‘Yes.’

He hummed thoughtfully to himself, fingers tracing aimless circles on Kakashi’s stomach. ‘You know… I never had a family. My parents died when I was still young - barely old enough to remember them. It was my uncle who pulled me from the house fire that killed them, and he was about as far from caring as you could possibly imagine.’

‘Madara?’ Kakashi murmured, enjoying their closeness. The first honest talk they’d had since he’d chosen to stay just over a month ago.

‘Yeah,’ Obito said, voice abnormally quiet.

He took an uneven breath and Kakashi sensed something important was coming. Wrapping his fingers around Obito’s, he nudged his head against the outlaw’s jaw in a gesture of support. Whatever he had to say, Kakashi was here for it.

‘You asked once how I got my scars.’

A leaden feeling of dread settled in Kakashi’s stomach. Surely he didn’t mean…

‘They were my uncle’s work. A lesson in discipline, and punishing me for failure. I was ten years old.’

Making an involuntary strangled noise, Kakashi rolled over, gathering Obito into his arms. He’d always suspected the scars were deliberate. But to be inflicted by the outlaw’s only living relative…

‘I wasn’t lying when I told you the greatest day of my life was seeing him six feet under,’ the outlaw said bitterly, muffled against Kakashi’s chest ‘But I think the way you feel about your dad is the same way I feel about this gang. It’s not something I can just give up. They were there for me when I had nothing.’

His fingers dug sharply into Kakashi’s back, tiny admissions of a hurt he would never openly express.

Kakashi held him silently. The truth was awful, far worse than anything he could have imagined. How could anyone do that to their own _family_? He wished he could take it all away somehow. But finally, as Obito’s breathing evened, he felt at last like they understood each other.

What Obito was scared of – it was exactly the same thing as Kakashi was. Of having to make a choice - knowing he would lose something he couldn’t replace.

A family. A purpose. A soul.

Realising as much was bittersweet.

‘So what do we do?’ he whispered, slotting his head beneath Obito’s chin. Playing agile fingers over his back, working at the tight knots around his shoulder blades.

Obito sighed appreciatively. ‘Well…’ he said, tone both defeated and amused. ‘I suppose we could just have sex again.’

Kakashi laughed, genuinely surprised at his humour. 

‘You haven’t even heard me out yet!’ Obito protested.

‘Alright, alright, we have sex again. How does that help us?’

Obito smiled seductively, ‘Because _afterward_ , we talk about how claiming the bounty on the brothers could be beneficial for the gang.’

Might as well have run a thousand volts through Kakashi. ‘Wait…’ he gasped gleefully, grabbing Obito and shaking him in wonder. ‘Bounty hunting!’

The outlaw rolled his eyes, like it had been obvious all along. ‘How has this not occurred to you before? For a sheriff, you really are an idiot...’

It wouldn’t change the gang’s wanted status, but it was honest work. A future Kakashi could be a part of.

A compromise.

He smiled at Obito wondrously. ‘I could stay!’

‘Yeah well, don’t get your hopes up,’ the outlaw muttered, smiling despite himself. ‘The gang would have to agree, and I’m not putting it to them until all this is over.’

Kakashi kissed him over-enthusiastically anyway.

‘And we’re still robbing that train,’ Obito warned, pushing him back to arm’s length. ‘I’m not going into a career change poor.’

But the way he said it was like he already had a plan. Almost as though he’d made up his mind. Reeling in disbelief, Kakashi hugged him again. ‘Honestly, you can rob a hundred trains, as long as there’s light at the end of the tunnel.’

Obito groaned, slapping a hand over his face. ‘Are you making dad jokes now? What am I getting myself into…’

‘The best decision you’ve ever made?’ Kakashi suggested smoothly.

‘Or the _worst_ …’

‘You won’t regret it.’ Kakashi kissed him again, softly. ‘I promise.’

Grumbling, Obito pulled him close. ‘I’d better not.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I proofread some of this while drunk. Send all complaints to my manager… 😉 But seriously, I need it out of my brain so I can concentrate on passing my work exams over the next month. Let me know if there's anything glaringly wrong. Thanks so much for reading!


	6. Long and Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission, a resolution, and a realisation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you’re wondering, this chapter is named after the Florence and the Machine song of the same name, which coincidentally was what I was listening to when I wrote it. So obviously if you’re looking for a fitting soundtrack, that’ll be it!

Kakashi woke just before sunrise with a sated heaviness in his limbs, a steady warmth at his back. Carefully shedding their shared blanket so as not to disturb the sleeping figure next to him, he sat up, shivering as frigid tendrils of air curled over his bare skin.

They were deep in Wind County, camped atop a mesa that overlooked the many enormous sandstone buttes littering the landscape. It was an ingenious hiding spot, easily defensible and accessible only by a steep and winding scramble up near-sheer rock, itself hidden behind a deceiving curve of stone and scrub. No one would find the gang here unless they already knew where to look.

The sun stole over the horizon, casting deep shadows, and painting crimson-lanced gold across a sky of delicate cirrus cloud that swept in long mare’s tails from one horizon to another. Dew had settled overnight, a life-giving cloak of gems sparkling across the parched desert dirt. Kakashi breathed in the view as though seeing it all for the first time.

Today was _the_ day.

The one that would determine his and Obito’s future, if there was to be such a thing.

He _really_ hoped there would be.

In theory it was simple; one last job and they would go straight. He understood of course that Obito would never really be free of his past – that the risk of being caught would exist for the rest of his life. But at least with an honest profession he would draw far less attention, and if nothing else it was a big country. Plenty of places to lose yourself in.

What he was less sure about though, was how to break the news to his friends and colleagues in Konoha. Tempting as it was to just disappear, he felt like he owed them more than that. To at least allow them the knowledge that he was alive and well. But imagining how _that_ conversation might go was a stumbling block he couldn’t overcome, and it bothered him. Almost as much as the nagging misgivings in his gut - the treacherous whispers that told him he was asking for too much. That happy endings were only for fairy-tales.

An arm slipped around his waist, pulling him back against a still-warm chest while other draped the folds of the coarse wool blanket back around them both.

‘Something on your mind Bakakashi?’ Obito purred in his ear, nosing at the curve of his neck in a gentle, not-quite kiss.

Kakashi smiled at the endearment. No matter his misgivings, he couldn’t let them get in the way of _this_. If there was even a chance… no matter how small…

‘Just thinking about the future,’ he said, not untruthfully.

‘Oh?’ Obito asked, raising small goosepimples on his skin as he breathed out against it.

Kakashi shivered pleasantly at the sensation. ‘How I tell my friends about my… career change. And us.’

The outlaw let out a wry snort. ‘Don’t,’ he suggested, predictably sardonic.

Tempting as it was to jab a well-deserved elbow to his gut for that, Kakashi adopted his best _you should really know better by now_ tone instead. ‘Obito, they’re my _friends_.’

The outlaw groaned, over-dramatic, but closer to resignation than genuine disapproval. ‘God you’re such a pain in the ass.’

Twisting to face him, Kakashi pressed their foreheads together. ‘One _you_ wanted around.’

‘Mmmm I did, didn’t I?’ Obito murmured, mouth quirking as he angled closer, brushing his nose along Kakashi’s affectionately. ‘But how do you know it’s not just for the fantastic sex?’

Huffing bemusement, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. As if he would ever believe _that_. Maybe he would have, two months ago. But not anymore. Familiarity rendered Obito’s expression a litany of small tells – creases at the corner of an uneven mouth, eyes that fairly sparkled with mirth, and a gaze that lingered longingly over the details of Kakashi’s face. Arms that tightened unconsciously around his middle. The barely-detectable slight parting of Obito’s lips as he shifted his weight ever-so-slightly forward, suggestive but not demanding.

Only too happy to play along, Kakashi slanted their mouths together, languid and deep, playing skilled fingers over the nape of Obito’s neck, curling them into soft strands of hair. A hand settled against his cheek, thumb caressing in gentle circles. Going both somewhere, and nowhere at all.  

Obito _cared_ – and no amount of attitude could hide it.

Kakashi’s heart felt like it was singing. With a breathy chuckle he pulled back to kiss softly along Obito’s jaw, featherlight. Waiting for him to give in.

Obito leaned into him, breath hitching quietly. ‘Fine,’ he conceded, ‘It’s not just for the sex.’

‘Oh? Kakashi paused, mouth poised just above the corner of Obito’s lips. ‘What is it then?’

 _Come on,_ he willed. _Just say it._

Nervous eyes darted to his and away again and Obito swallowed, turning his head to face the horizon. An abnormal quiet descended between them; all tension and awkwardness and empty space waiting to be filled by the only possible explanation for the change that had been wrought so drastically in both their lives. But it was as though admitting it out loud would alter something irrevocable. A shift there was no coming back from. So instead, they danced around the truth like this, each waiting, _hoping_ , the other would take the leap first.

Obito fidgeted, changing the topic. ‘There’s something I want to give you.’

Disappointment stung in Kakashi’s chest, a dull ache edged with longing. Another missed opportunity. He knew he _should_ be glad for whatever was offered, but…

Obito fumbled in the blanket beside him, withdrawing a thin strip of fabric, partially enclosed in his fist. Black, with a distinctive embroidered red cloud motif. ‘I thought maybe… if you’d be willing to accept it?’

He sounded halting, uncertain. Unsurprising really, considering how well his last attempt to label Kakashi part of Akatsuki had gone. But things had changed since then, and this time Kakashi could see the offer for what it really was; not _quite_ a statement of Obito’s feelings perhaps, but nearly as good. An invitation to be part of his _family_ , and not something he’d offer lightly.

He laid a hand over Obito’s without even thinking. ‘Yes.’

The smile on Obito’s face was priceless - pure joy, every bit as bright as the sunrise before them. With gentle hands he tied the bandana over Kakashi’s nose and jaw, securing it with a careful knot, then leaning back to admire his work, expression soft.

‘Well?’ Kakashi ran a hand over the fabric. It felt good to have his mask back after all this time. He’d never quite got used to going without it. Call it self-consciousness, caution, whatever-

‘It suits you,’ Obito said, looking pleased. He pulled Kakashi into his lap, nudging the new impediment out of the way, and brushing their lips softly together, murmuring, ‘You realise everyone will know who you belong to now though?’

A thrill shot up Kakashi’s spine. Once, he might have objected to a statement like that. Now though… He tipped his head back, giving in to what Obito wanted. Slid his hands across Obito’s skin, tracing out the lines of taut muscle and textured scars, and feeling the first stirrings of desire somewhere far lower. ‘ _You_ realise it means the same for you?’ he said, a little breathlessly. 

Obito paused, mouth hovering barely millimetres from his, curved into a darkly knowing smile. ‘I wouldn’t offer it if I didn’t. I _want_ them to know. Let them fear what I’ll do to anyone who comes between us.’

He gazed at Kakashi, passionate and intense, and for one fleeting outrageous second, Kakashi was tempted to say really it. To tell Obito exactly how he felt.

But the desire passed almost as quickly as it had come, pushed aside in favour of the physicality which came so much easier to them both. Sentiment expressed in a long, lingering, sensual kiss which could almost have led to more - if it hadn’t been interrupted by the rest of the gang rising for the day.

Ruefully, Obito smiled, brushing strands of stray hair behind Kakashi’s ear, expression innocent, tone anything but. ‘We’ll continue this later hm? When we celebrate our victory tonight.’

Kakashi smiled, and Obito kissed him quickly on the cheek, then stood up. Kakashi watched him dress, anxiety settling into his chest again, heavy and hollow. _Please don’t let him lose the best thing he’d ever found…_

He pulled on his own clothes, trying to reason with his subconscious all the while. Everything was going to be _fine_. The gang knew exactly what they were doing. They’d done jobs like this countless times over the years, and had never been caught or killed yet. There was nothing to worry about.

_Except for all the ways it could be different this time._

Unease settling immovably into the pit of his stomach, Kakashi gathered with the others around a map laid out over a small flat rock, trying very hard not to think about it. He needed to concentrate today. Be at the top of his game.

Obito appeared again by his side, offering him a piece of toasted bread and a confident smile, before stepping into the centre of the gathering to address everyone.

‘Today we take our power back,’ he said, looking at each gang member in turn. ‘Today we show the Gold and Silver brothers – and anyone else who thinks they can challenge us – that this gang is not to be underestimated. That doing so will cost them.’

The gang grinned, shifting in a subtle ripple of excitement. It was obvious they lived for this kind of thing; though something told Kakashi they might not have entirely bargained on Obito’s change of plans. He wouldn’t have liked to speculate on a chances of convincing Hidan that bounty hunting was worth his time.

‘So, here’s the plan. The tracks run through a narrow canyon here.’ Obito pointed at a feature on the map. ‘Itachi and Kisame have scouted the area this morning and found evidence of a recent campsite. Between that, and the fact it’s the only place to reliably stage a robbery unobserved, we’re certain that’s where the brothers will be—'

Kakashi loved it so much when Obito was like this - in his element, confident and fearless, a natural-born leader. He had the kind of natural charisma just that drew people to him and inspired trust – something Kakashi knew better than most. Scarce months he’d known Obito, and already he would follow him to the ends of the earth and beyond, if only he asked. One glance at the gang told him much the same. They might seem like a bunch of untrustworthy misfits, but they had loyalty to each other, more than most.

‘Now remember,’ Obito continued, ‘the train will be heavily guarded. This isn’t your average robbery. This is the gold train we’re talking about. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of ore, freshly smelted and destined for the national treasury. Expect government guards and plenty of hired muscle. Let the brothers go in first, and don’t intervene unless it looks like it’s absolutely necessary. And remember – we want them _alive_.’

There was a collective groan at that.

Sasori gave him a pained look. ‘Remind me again why we’re not just shooting them on the spot?’

Obito took a breath, eyes narrowing like he was about to embark on a lengthy explanation.

‘Because they’re worth _money_ ,’ Kakuzu interjected like it was blatantly obvious. ‘A lot of it. I’ve been saying for years we should be collecting the bounties on our rivals.’

Deidara scowled. ‘Yeah but it’s not exactly sending the right message is it? Cross us, and we’ll turn you over to the authorities?’

‘It does make financial sense though,’ Itachi said, characteristically measured.

Deidara glared at him in displeasure, glancing around as though hoping to garner support for his view.

Kisame shrugged. ‘I don’t care. Same result either way. They’ll hang for sure, but this way we’ll get something back for it.’

Hidan flashed his teeth cheerfully. ‘Don’t look at me. I just want to cut the fuckers and feed them to the vultures.’

Zetsu giggled unnervingly at that, and it wasn’t much of a stretch for Kakashi to imagine him joining in. Or worse.

With a drawn out sigh Deidara crossed his arms, expression sullen. ‘Fine.’

‘Then are we all clear on the plan? We stake out the ridge above tracks, let the brothers do the hard work, and ambush them when they’re done. We hide the gold, and Kakashi delivers the brothers to the law and collects the bounty. We rendevous back here when it’s all over, then get the hell out of Dodge before the law figures out what’s happened. Questions?’

‘Just one.’ Konan’s eyes slid from Kakashi to Obito, tone just on the sharper side of pointed. ‘Why him?’

Obito’s mouth tightened, eyes hardening for a barely perceptible fraction of a second before he deigned to answer. ‘Because he’s the least well known of us. If anyone’s going to get away with walking into a marshal’s office in broad daylight, it’s going to be him.’

Konan pursed her lips. But if the explanation didn’t satisfy her, she was at least smart enough not to voice it anymore. Kakashi was the one battle she seemed to know she couldn’t win.  

But the nagging voice in Kakashi’s head was another matter entirely. _It_ didn’t fail to point out that it wasn’t a given he would get away with this. After all it wasn’t like he was a complete unknown – there had been that wanted poster with his name on it near Ame, and a couple of others since. Not many, granted, and not worth much. But enough to make him worry.

Way he saw it though, he had little choice in the matter. Obito was doing this for _him_. It was only fair Kakashi played his part. And the outlaw was right – out of everyone in the gang, he was the one most likely to succeed.

He rubbed his temples, trying to focus. All this worry was giving him a headache. Just twelve more hours, and it would all be over. They’d know – one way or another.  

Obito rolled up the map, stuffing it into a knapsack which he slung over his shoulder. ‘Alright then, let’s move out.’

***

They lay on their stomachs on the ridge overlooking the canyon. Kisame and Itachi on Kakashi’s right, Obito to his left holding a set of field glasses, and beyond him Konan, Nagato, Deidara, Sasori and Hidan. Zetsu and Kakuzu were positioned at the entrance to the canyon, in charge of the wagons they would use to transport the gold and captives away, and waiting on Obito’s signal to join them.

‘See anything?’ Konan murmured.

Obito chuckled. ‘Besides the wagon full of dynamite on the tracks? No. But there’s a cleft in the rock just slightly further up there.’ He pointed somewhere to their left. ‘That’s where I would wait, if it were me.’

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably, flicking a particularly jagged rock out from beneath his chest. Lying down here was the sensible thing to do - out of sight, and off a skyline that would make them instantly visible to the brothers. The last thing they needed was to get into a firefight before the whole thing even began. But being splayed out on the uneven ground, beneath the harsh midday sun, was becoming increasingly unpleasant. He pulled his hat a little lower over his eyes.

‘Well at least if this doesn’t work out, we’re gonna get a good show!’ Deidara grinned, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Sasori snorted. ‘What is it with you and explosives? They’re not going to actually hit them. They see the wagon, they stop. That’s the whole point.’

‘Well maybe they won’t hm? What then?’ Deidara gestured wildly, a wide-eyed grin on his face. ‘Boom!’

‘Then we’ll be in a lot of trouble, with a canyon crumbling around us. Don’t you think anything through?’

‘Don’t _you_ appreciate true art?’

‘Shut up, both of you!’ Konan snapped, voice barely above a raised whisper.  

‘There,’ Nagato said, pointing, and Kakashi followed his finger. ‘Smoke on the horizon.’

Everyone turned. Obito raised his field glasses again, studying the trail of dark coal smoke as it wound towards them across the desert.

‘That’s it,’ he confirmed. ‘Government locomotive and what looks like— four armoured carriages.’

An unnatural quiet descended over the gang. Every member reached for their weaponry – loading guns, checking knives in sheaths, and in Deidara’s case counting what looked like a small bag of dynamite sticks.

An elbow nudged Kakashi’s side. ‘Are you ready for this?’ Obito asked, expression serious.  

Briefly, Kakashi debated how to answer. _Was_ he ready? After all, the real question here was whether Hatake Kakashi – upstanding citizen and sheriff of Konoha - was ready to rob a government train with a notorious gang, take down their rivals, and ride into a glorious sunset with his criminal boyfriend?

He huffed a wry laugh at the idea. Not something he would ever have thought he’d find himself considering. Yet here they were – in the middle of nowhere, already on the wrong side of the law, and he couldn’t even find it in himself to care. Robbing criminals to go straight – when you put it like that, it almost sounded like honest work.

Withdrawing his revolver from its holster, he slotted a bullet into the last empty chamber and snapped the barrel back into place. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’

Obito grinned brightly, throwing an arm over him and pulling him into a brief but messy kiss. He nipped at Kakashi’s bottom lip as he pulled away, whispering in his ear, ‘I can’t believe I’m actually doing this – going straight. Because of _you_. You’re going to be the death of me _sheriff_.’

Kakashi froze at his choice of words, doubts flooding back in a horrible ugly churning mess in the pit of his stomach. He glanced askance at Obito, and the outlaw smiled back, bright and confident, completely unaware of the impact his words had had. Sunlight lit his hair as he swept his hat back onto his head.

‘Just stick with me, and everything will be fine.’

The train drew closer.

_Clack, clack, clack, screech—_

They’d seen the wagon.

Sparks flew from where locked wheels contacted the tracks, a shrill whistle sounding the alarm.

‘Alright everyone,’ Obito called out over the sound, ‘wait for my command.’

The engine slid to a halt in a cloud of steam, carriage doors thrown open as uniformed men spilled out. Ten, twenty, thirty maybe, Kakashi counted. It was more than they’d been planning on, and a lot for two outlaws to deal with. Maybe even enough to necessitate the gang’s involvement, though he really hoped not. Stealing from other outlaws was one thing, shooting government officials, quite another. He shuddered at the idea.

The men milled about for a few seconds, seemingly uncertain of the nature of the threat. A broad-shouldered man in a uniform more adorned than the rest left the carriage last, making his way toward the impediment blocking the tracks. He waved his arm and several more men scurried over, pushing hopelessly at it. But the wagon wouldn’t budge.

Obito scowled, glancing around them with narrowed eyes. ‘Where the hell _are_ they?’

It was a fair question, and one Kakashi was wondering at himself. What were the brothers playing at? If they were going to make an appearance, now would be the time. Because as heavy as the wagon was, enough men, together, would have a shot at moving it. Then the entire venture would be for nothing.

Beside him, Obito swore under his breath.

More men made their way to the wagon. Then finally, a cry of alarm. A guard, barely more than a boy, tripped in the dirt, pulling free a long thin wire than ran from the contents of the wagon down the canyon toward-

_Boom!_

A thunderous roar shook the ridge, and Kakashi scrambled back from the edge, shielding his eyes against the vicious gust of dust and hot air whipping toward him. He coughed, lungs burning, ears ringing. That had _not_ been part of the plan.

‘Hell yeah!’ someone screamed, partially muffled by the unfolding chaos.

Deidara, Kakashi was fairly sure. But between the cloud of dust and the thick black coal smoke now drifting by, it was hard to tell. Visibility was almost zero. The blast must have taken out the locomotive, and set the entire stock of coal aflame. Acrid smoke stung Kakashi’s eyes and he rubbed at them, trying to get his bearings.

Rocks were skittering down the slope now, loosened by the explosion, and beneath them, gunshots rang out, echoing off the canyon walls. Then a maniacal laughter that was altogether too familiar. They _were_ here.

Someone stumbled over his foot, cursing as they grabbed hold of him, and Obito’s face emerged from the murk, obviously relieved. ‘Kakashi!’

‘Obito!’ Kakashi grabbed his hands, looking him up and down for injuries.

‘I’m fine,’ Obito reassured him, ‘But we have to get down there _now_.’

‘We can’t see a thing though. We’ll just as likely shoot each other as them.’

‘That’s a chance we’re just going to have to take. Hopefully if we get down there, we can get upwind of this smoke.’

‘And the others?’

Obito withdrew one of his revolvers and fired it into the air three times in quick succession. ‘That’s the signal for Zetsu and Kakuzu to come. The rest of the gang will know what it means.’ He grabbed Kakashi’s hand, leading him purposefully toward the edge of the canyon. Just before they started down the slope he stopped briefly, looking behind them and calling out, ‘Nagato! If you can hear me, try to find a clear vantage and cover us from up here.’

There was no reply.

Unperturbed, and jaw set with determination, Obito led them carefully down the steep slope.

The canyon floor was a complete mess. Rubble from the walls was strewn everywhere, boulders of all shapes and sizes that looked like they had rained down indiscriminately on the men beneath. They tripped over their first body as soon as they reached the ground, and Kakashi tried not to look at it too closely. The effects of dynamite on the human body at short range were not pretty, to say the least.

Together they pushed on, guns at the ready, picking their way towards the sound of the fight. Dark shapes loomed from within the smoke - the steaming wreck of the locomotive, metal body torn to jagged shards, and the splintered remains of the wagon, all permeated by the aromatic odour of burnt coal. Obito’s face was already covered in thick black grime, and a fine layer of soot was settling over their clothing. All the while the shots continued in the distance.

A noise came from their right - some kind of scuffed shuffle and Kakashi spun, finding himself face to face with two very alive, very _armed_ , guards. Their eyes widened in shock, taking in him and Obito, processing their lack of uniforms, the matching bandannas they both wore…

Almost in slow motion they raised their guns—

Kakashi hesitated. The man across from him had soft blue eyes, and a kind face. He was somebody’s son. A brother maybe, or a father. Just someone trying to do his job.

_Bang! Bang!_

The man’s mouth popped open as a little red star blossomed between his eyes. Kakashi stared at it stupidly as he fell, then at the smoking gun in Obito’s hand.

‘Shoot faster next time,’ Obito reprimanded, cuffing his shoulder roughly. ‘Hesitate like that again and you’re going to get us both killed.’

Kakashi’s heart thumped a million miles an hour in his chest. Obito had just saved his life. _Again_. How could he have doubted in a situation like this? God, at this rate his bleeding heart was going to get them both killed. The other man wouldn’t have hesitated to pull the trigger on him…

They broke free of the smoke into the middle of a vicious firefight between Akatsuki and the remaining members of the train’s guard. Bullets flew, sizzling through the air, and Obito threw them sideways behind a boulder at the track’s edge.

‘Tobi, shit!’ Konan gasped, lowering her gun as they fell to the ground beside her.

‘Hey Konan, how you doing?’ Obito grinned, like it was a dinner date, not a firefight.

Konan’s face quickly reassumed its normally composed expression. ‘Pretty good actually,’ she deadpanned, leaning around him to pop off another shot. ‘We’re almost done with these guys and Kisame managed to catch Kinkaku nearly as soon as we got down here. Apparently he’s not such a crack shot anymore.’

Kakashi glanced across to the far canyon wall where Kisame was sitting on top of a bound writhing mass that was screaming obscenities, while Itachi shot from dual revolvers beside him. On seeing Kakashi and Obito, Kisame gave a cheerful wave and his trademark toothy grin, looking like he was having an absolute ball. A little baffled by his carefree attitude in a life or death situation, Kakashi tentatively waved back.

‘Where’s the other one?’ Obito asked.

Konan’s brows furrowed. ‘That I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Haven’t seen him yet. Is it possible he could have run?’

‘Maybe,’ Obito grunted. But he cast a glance over his shoulder all the same. ‘Let’s just hurry up and finish this before the law arrives.’

With a dubious look toward the large and very obvious plume of black smoke, Konan nodded. ‘Good plan.’

The remaining government men fell quickly, and Zetsu and Kakuzu showed up with the wagons and horses soon after. There was still no sign of Ginkaku though, which worried Kakashi. Any reasonable logic would dictate that when faced with the overwhelming odds against him, Ginkaku should have run, but Kakashi couldn’t help his doubts. The brothers weren’t the type for that, especially not the younger one. He was type to hold a grudge, logic and common sense be damned.

But with no sign of him, they were forced to continue with the remainder of the plan. In short order, Deidara had blown the side off the vault car, dynamite tearing through the reinforced metal like a hot knife through butter, to his whoops and cries of delight. The gang all pitched in, forming a human chain to load the gold bars into the waiting wagon. Then one by one, they mounted up.

Obito was the last to leave. He stood, Kakashi at his side, surveying the destruction like some kind of vengeful god, with an oddly peaceful smile on his face.

Konan wheeled her horse, glancing back at them. She raised her brows, making a face Kakashi interpreted as meaning that in no uncertain terms, they needed to wrap this up already. He nodded, gently tugging at Obito’s arm. ‘Come on Obito. We should go.’

Obito sighed quietly, but didn’t otherwise move. ‘Just— give me a moment. I want to remember this. My _last_ time…’ his smile brightened as he turned to face Kakashi, taking his cheeks in his hands.

It was then Kakashi saw it - the dark, horned shape, creeping out from the shadow of one of the wrecked railways cars, gun levelled directly – unmissably - at Obito’s back. His stomach dropped like lead, terror flooding his veins with a horrible clarity.

It was too late to draw his own gun. Too late for anything at all, save—

Wrapping his arms tightly around Obito, he threw them both to the ground, lying over the outlaw like a shield.

_Bang!_

A ragged breath rattled through Kakashi’s lungs.

‘Fuck!’

Obito struggled beneath his weight. 

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’

Another harsh breath.

Then another.

Kakashi frowned. Wasn’t being shot supposed to hurt more?

He opened his eyes, staring down at Obito. The outlaw looked relieved and positively murderous at the same time. Pushing Kakashi sharply off him he stood, walked directly over to Ginkaku - now cradling a bloody-wristed hand and cursing like a sailor - and punched him square in the jaw. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. ‘You fucking asshole!’ Another punch. Then another. ‘I’m going to make sure you don’t ever fuck with anyone again, you hear me?’

Kakashi ran a hand over his chest, finding it unnervingly, confoundingly, unharmed. _What the-?_ He glanced up. On the ridge, a small figure stood, silhouetted against the skyline.

 _Nagato_.

Suddenly, everything became clear. Cold sweat finally beginning to dissipate, Kakashi rolled onto his back, sucking in gloriously deep breaths of smoky acrid air. Sure, Obito was pulverising their would-be hostage into a pulp, and the entire mission had been a mess, but he was _alive_. Kakashi was _alive_. And Nagato was a _fantastic_ shot.

They were getting out of here after all.

He tipped his head back and laughed, and laughed.

‘Jesus!’ Konan pulled up beside them, quickly surveying the situation and leaping from her horse to grab Obito’s arm before he could do any more damage. ‘What’s wrong with the two of you! We need to get out of here!’

She dragged Kakashi to his feet too, and together, the three of them restrained Ginkaku, propping him up in the back of the wagon next to his brother.

‘He’s not going to bleed out is he?’ Kakashi asked, eyeing the wound with some trepidation.

Obito snorted. ‘His stupid fault if he does. I hope it’s slow and painful too.’

Tongue clicking in disapproval, Konan called Sasori over, watching impatiently as he bent his head down, drawing a muffled scream from Ginkaku when he poked at the bloody mess that was his wrist. ‘It’s non-fatal. They can patch it up at the marshal’s office.’

‘Good,’ Konan said, like the matter was concluded. ‘Then let’s get Nagato, and get out of here.’

***

As they rode out of the canyon, Kakashi breathed a long sigh, adrenaline finally giving way to relief.

Until Konan pulled up beside him anyway. For a short time she kept pace, utterly silent as hoofbeats echoed off the rock walls around them. Finally she took a deep breath, scowling darkly. ‘You’re a shit shot, and an even worse outlaw – but you would have saved his life today, even if it cost you your own.’ She looked away, pausing before adding quietly, albeit still with resentment in her tone, ‘I can respect that.’

Kakashi glanced at her, but she seemed to be making a point of looking everywhere _but_ him. He smiled anyway. ‘Thanks Konan.’

She grimaced like that was painful to hear, coming from him. ‘Yeah well… just don’t make me regret it.’ With that, she spurred her horse, riding on ahead.

A warm, contented glow spread through Kakashi’s chest. If he could convince even Konan, something told him this – the gang – was going to work out after all.

***

They stopped at the canyon entrance, Zetsu handing the reins to the wagon containing the brothers to Kakashi as the late afternoon shadows began to lengthen.

In front of the entire gang, Obito pulled Kakashi into a passionate kiss. ‘Thank you,’ he murmured, tangling one hand into Kakashi’s hair and settling the other over the small of his back, holding him like he never wanted to let go.

He smelled like sweat and coal, and black soot still covered his face. But he was warm and alive and _here_ , heart beating strongly against Kakashi’s. Heedless of their audience Kakashi kissed him again, slow and deep. Then smiling, he rubbed at a particularly stubborn mark on Obito’s cheek. ‘Couldn’t have done anything else.’

Small crinkles formed at the corners of Obito’s eyes. ‘I’m glad you’re such an idiot.’

‘Me too,’ Kakashi said sincerely.

Obito chuckled, kissing his nose lightly, eyes bright with affection. He reached into his pocket, withdrawing something which he held up to Kakashi’s chest, fumbling for a moment to pin it on. ‘I’ve been thinking for a while it’s about time I gave this back to you.’

Kakashi glanced down, finding himself looking at his old sheriff’s badge. It felt strange, seeing it there again. Like it didn’t belong. He ran his fingers over the smooth metal star, tracing its shape. Was this Obito’s way of telling him he was free to go? That the choice of whether or not to stay was entirely his own? Because with his badge back, Kakashi could ride away from here and back into his old life, as though he’d never left. Back to Rin and Yamato, Naruto and Sasuke, and the never-ending drudgery of paperwork and pointless investigations…

He smiled. It felt a little like a shirt that didn’t fit anymore. Clothing he’d outgrown. ‘You know what?’ he said, cupping Obito’s face softly with both hands, ‘I don’t think I’ll be needing it anymore after this.’

To say Obito looked delighted would have been an understatement. His eyes lit up, creases tugging at the corners of lips graced by a brilliant smile. ‘I hoped you’d say that.’

‘There was never any other choice Obito. I—’

The words stuck in Kakashi’s throat.

‘You— what? Obito pressed, leaning closer, thumbs rubbing in gentle circles over Kakashi’s lower back.

 _I love you_ , Kakashi wanted to say. _With every fibre of my being. Like I’ve never loved anyone else before._

But he couldn’t seem to get the words out. What if—? What if Obito didn’t return his feelings? What if he didn’t want to hear those words? What if he wasn’t ready?

‘I—’ he stuttered, looking down at his feet. ‘I’ll see you when I get back Obito.’

There was a soft sigh, quiet enough that only Kakashi could hear. ‘I’ll be waiting, Bakakashi.’

On impulse, Kakashi pulled them into one last all-too-brief kiss, fingers curling around the nape of Obto’s neck. He couldn’t say it with words maybe, but he _loved_ Obito. _Knew_ it – in his heart and soul. From the scowling furrows of his brows, to the graceful curve of his full pink lips, to the way his long ebony hair fell more to one side than the other, how his eyes lit up when he saw Kakashi… His independence, determination, and that stubborn uncompromising streak that made him refuse to change for anybody – least of all an idiotic lovestruck sheriff from Konoha.

He breathed out against Obito’s lips, savouring the warmth where their foreheads touched. If he could, he’d climb right into Obito’s soul and leave a part of himself there, right where it belonged, even if he got nothing in return. His father had always said you didn’t choose love, it chose you, and he’d been right. So, so, _right_.

Slowly, Kakashi pulled away, and Obito helped him up onto the wagon, hands lingering on his.

The other gang members laughed in disbelief when they saw the sheriff’s badge.

‘He almost looks like a real one!’ Hidan cackled. ‘That’s the funniest shit I’ve ever seen. He’s just gonna walk in there like he belongs, and those fucking idiots will never even know…’ He dissolved into howls of laughter.

Itachi gave a small nod. ‘I don’t know where you got it from, but that’s smart thinking Tobi.’

The rest of the gang made noises of assent.

Out of sheer curiosity, Kakashi chanced a look at Konan. Her face was the same impassive mask as always, but behind those disconcerting amber eyes, he could almost see her turning over his image in her mind. The way the badge sat on his chest, looking _not entirely_ out of place. How Obito might have come by something so closely guarded. Why he hadn’t made use of it before now…

Kakashi coughed, picking up the reins. ‘Guess I’d better get going huh?’

Obito slipped a hand onto his thigh, smirking just a little. ‘Don’t forget about our unfinished business. I’d rather not wait, if you know what I mean.’

The hand moved a little higher and Kakashi breathed in sharply, feeling a familiar rush of heat to his groin. He raised a brow, leaning close and murmuring low so only Obito could hear, ‘Keep that up and I’ll never leave.’

The positively lecherous expression on Obito’s face suggested he liked that idea – a lot - but he did remove his hand regardless, stepping back. ‘At our campsite then, tonight. Be careful Kakashi.’

Kakashi gave a jaunty wave of his hand, more confident than he felt. ‘See you soon Obito.’ He flicked the reins and the horses began to move. Two hours to Suna to offload the brothers and pick up the bounty. Two hours back. Then they would disappear.   

Simple.

And if there was anything Kakashi was good at, it was dealing with law enforcement.

He’d be back before the gang knew it, ready to start a new life with Obito.

***

Several miles outside Suna Kakashi removed his Akatsuki bandanna, tucking it deeply and carefully into his breast pocket. As confident as he felt, there was no need to take any unnecessary risks. In theory, collecting the bounty should be a simple task. In and out quickly, before either of the brothers was given the chance to reveal the truth about Kakashi’s involvement with Akatsuki.

The sky was just beginning to darken to a dusky deep blue as he drove the wagon into town, bats fluttering out from under the eaves of buildings and snatching insects on the wing. The town itself was only slightly larger than Konoha, the buildings shabbier, inhabitants stony-faced in a way that lent it a sense of destitution its more well-off neighbour lacked. Countless eyes watched Kakashi’s progress, whispers following the second his back was turned. In dark alleys, shadows lurked, giving shape to impossible fears. The back of his neck prickled.

It felt like he was being watched.

He brought the wagon to a stop outside the marshal’s office, an austere two story building at the end of the main road into town. Outside it stood the marshal himself – a thin-lipped man with a severe face and sharply pointed goatee. He introduced himself as Yūra, shaking Kakashi’s hand with a slightly-too-tight grip and weak smile. Overtly, he seemed friendly enough. But there was something unsettling about his manner Kakashi couldn’t quite put his finger on. Maybe to do with the way he smiled without a trace of warmth ever reaching his eyes.

It gave Kakashi the irresistible urge to glance over his shoulder - as though someone else might be there, waiting to pounce from the shadows. As though this was a trap. Which was ridiculous of course, because Yūra couldn’t possibly know. All Kakashi had to do was play his part.

Inhaling a shaky breath, he wiped damp palms against his pants and followed Yūra inside. In short order, the marshal confirmed the identity of the brothers, passing them off to his deputies for processing before offering Kakashi a drink. Whisky, straight.

Kakashi eyed the glass on Yūra’s desk apprehensively, hoping the nervous butterflies in his gut weren’t showing on his face as much as it felt like they were. ‘I’d rather be on my way sir, if it’s all the same to you.’

A muscle by Yūra’s eye twitched. ‘Sit.’

A command, not a question. Kakashi swallowed, complying.   

As he settled into the chair feeling like a prisoner on execution day, some of the tension bled from Yūra’s shoulders. As though aware of how he’d come across, he pushed the drink across to Kakashi, offering in a not entirely unfriendly tone, ‘Getting your bounty money from the bank vault will take some time. No harm in a drink while you wait is there sheriff?’

Fingers closing around the glass, Kakashi wiped another damp patch from his brow. Suddenly, the Akatsuki bandanna in his pocket felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. ‘I suppose not.’

Turning his own glass this way and that, Yūra stared at the amber liquid in it, thoughtful. ‘How did you say you caught them again?’

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi prepared to tell the story he’d decided on. The sooner they got this over with the better. ‘I was their captive. I managed to work loose of my restraints and ambush them after they robbed the train.’

It was a bare-faced lie, and the second Yūra interrogated the brothers for their side of the story, he would know. But by then, Kakashi intended to be long gone.

‘Two full months,’ Yūra mused, ‘It’s a long time to hold someone hostage sheriff. And the brothers aren’t exactly known for their mercy.’

The lamplight flickered, throwing grotesque shadows against the walls.

Kakashi took another sip of his drink, wondering if his heart was actually hammering loud enough for Yūra to hear it, or if it just felt that way. He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. ‘I don’t know why they did it. I’m just lucky they did I suppose.’

Yūra grunted, downing the rest of his drink and staring into the bottom of the glass. The clock on the wall ticked softly, counting down Kakashi’s chances of getting out of this undiscovered with every passing second. Or so it felt anyway. 

‘I met your father once you know,’ Yūra said suddenly.

Kakashi froze, genuinely caught off-guard. ‘You did?’

Humming assent, Yūra nodded. ‘He was a good man. Principled. Never afraid to do the right thing, no matter the cost.’

That much had certainly been true, as Kakashi understood it. But he only knew so from the stories told to him by others, and wondered what Yūra was playing at by bringing it up. Any true friend of his father’s would surely have known that he’d been gone long before Kakashi had been old enough to remember him. But perhaps it was best not to admit as much, he thought. Not if Yūra thought as much of him as it seemed like he did. Instead Kakashi sipped at his drink, offering diplomatically, ‘He believed in what he did.’

‘Indeed.’ Yūra poured himself another shot of whisky, offering the bottle to Kakashi who shook his head. He set it back on the desk and leaned back in his seat, viewing Kakashi from under the brim of his hat, eyes sharp. ‘So the real question is, do _you_ sheriff?’

Kakashi felt a bead of moisture slip down the back of his neck. No such thing as a simple question - not with this man. He felt like they were dancing on eggshells, each waiting for the other to make a wrong move and bring this whole illusion crashing down. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to get out of there, that Yūra _knew_ , that it was a loaded question… And maybe once he could have answered it without hesitation or pause. But that was before Obito. Before he'd fallen madly head over heels for the worst person imaginable, and realised he felt exactly the same way about him.

So… now? He still believed in a lot of things. Justice, freedom, the truth – sparingly. Destiny. Love. But standing on principle just for the sake of it?

‘I believe there are things worth dying for, yes,’ he said, deliberately evasive.

Yūra’s mouth quirked upward. He took a sip of his drink, fingers tapping softly against the table, eyes tracing Kakashi’s every movement like a snake watching a mouse. ‘You really are your father’s son.’

Somehow Kakashi doubted that. Whatever choices his father had made during his life, he was fairly sure they hadn’t involved deserting his duty and falling into bed with an outlaw. Kakashi hardly thought he’d approve. But let Yūra think what he wanted. Anything to get out of here sooner.

The air of tension was broken as a deputy opened the front door, bearing a thick stack of bills. ‘Here marshal.’

Yūra took the stack, thumbing over it to check the amount. He slid it across the table to Kakashi, no less intimidating for the knowledge that their little tête-à- tête was finally coming to an end. ‘Your bounty, as promised.’

Kakashi pocketed the cash, rising with deliberate slowness despite his screaming nerves. _Keep it together Hatake._ ‘Thank you marshal,’ he said, aiming for relaxed as he made his way to the still-open door. It felt like at any second, Yūra might try to stop him – this whole charade fall flat, mere feet from the door.

But even though he could feel Yūra’s eyes on him, he didn’t move. ‘Where will you go now?’ Yūra asked nonchalantly, glass clinking against the wood of the desk as he set it back down.

Two feet from the door, Kakashi could feel the cool desert air, see the stars dotting the ink-black sky, so tantalisingly close to freedom. He imagined Obito waiting for him by a campfire somewhere out there. His roguish grin. The heat in his fingers as they roved across Kakashi’s skin, stripping him bare – no secrets or lies between them, not anymore. The ecstasy of making love, when it felt like his spirit soared into the heavens above, until Obito was there to bring him back to earth after it all. How they were going to run; so far away from everything they would never be found.

He took another step foward, looking only briefly back at Yūra, not a false shred of sincerity in his voice when he said, ‘Home.’

With that, he walked from the office into the stillness of the early evening, surrounded by the lilting chirp of crickets. Driving the wagon at a brisk pace he fled town, unease slipping away soon as the desert embraced him, the lights and civilisation of Suna rapidly fading from sight over the horizon.

Empty spaces and open skies. No one to know or care who he was. And best of all; Obito waiting for him at the end of it.

Kakashi smiled. Not a sunset as such – but close enough.  

***

He left the wagon by the cliff-face that hid the path to the Akatsuki camp, picking his way through the scrub. Behind a deceptive curve of rock that shielded the track up the mesa, he emerged into warm firelight and the homely sounds and smells of the gang sharing a meal. Deidara complaining loudly about something unimportant. Nagato’s soft and measured intonation. Obito’s deeper raspy drawl, immediately distinctive from the rest.

They looked up at his arrival, expressions morphing into broad grins. He withdrew the money from his pocket, holding it up to a chorus of cheers.

But Kakashi had eyes only for Obito.

He was sitting to one side of the others, a prideful smirk on his face as he cast his eyes over Kakashi, biting his lip with an expression that left Kakashi hot and wanting. ‘You did it.’

It made Kakashi want to run straight to him and—

‘Did what exactly?’ a harsh voice interjected, followed by several sets of heavy footsteps and the sound of cocking guns.

Kakashi’s blood ran cold. No… It couldn’t be. He’d _checked_. Made _sure_ there was no one following...

But Obito’s face had morphed into a picture of wide-eyed horror – gaze fixated somewhere just beyond Kakashi. The rest of the gang scrambled to their feet, bristling like a pack of stray dogs who had just been cornered.

A heavy hand gripped Kakashi’s shoulder, just on the side of uncomfortably tight, and Yūra appeared beside him with at least a dozen uniformed deputies in tow. ‘Thanks for the tip-off sheriff.’

Konan blanched. ‘Sheriff?’ she asked with icy incredulity, glancing between Kakashi and Obito as though seeking confirmation.

Obito was still frozen in place though, mouth hanging open like he couldn’t comprehend the betrayal unfolding in front of him. He looked vulnerable and _hurt_. So, so _hurt_. Like his heart was breaking. And with every passing second, Kakashi’s was going right along with it.

‘It’s your choice,’ Yūra declared calmly. ‘Surrender and come peacefully or we will use lethal force to apprehend you.’

There was an angry ripple of movement amongst the gang members. Slight changes to stance, hands that shifted toward weapons, indicating they were preparing to fight, even though to do so in this enclosed space was as good as a death sentence. But being captured would be a death sentence too, Kakashi realised. Better they at least had a chance.

And all the while Obito remained utterly motionless, lips drawn into an uneven quivering line. Uncharacteristically lost in both words and action. All Kakashi wanted to do was rush over to him, fold him into his arms and tell him it wasn’t true. That Kakashi would never betray him. That he hadn’t.

But there was no way Yūra would ever let him get that far. He shook his head, pleading silently with his expression, hoping that Obito might understand. But the outlaw just flinched, looking down like a beaten puppy.

‘Obito,’ Konan entreated, an edge of desperation appearing in her voice.

Calm and certain anger washed over Kakashi. This might have been his mistake, but he could still fix it. Yūra clearly wasn’t underestimating the gang, but he _was_ underestimating Kakashi.

But Obito chose to that moment to snap back to his senses. ‘Go!’ he told the gang firmly, waving behind him as he drew his revolvers, ‘Get out of here. I’ll hold them off.’

For a moment, no one moved.

Then all hell broke loose. Bullets flew as gang scattered, running for their lives to whatever exit they could reach. Within seconds only Konan remained, half sheltered behind a slender outcrop of rock. ‘Obito what are you doing?’ she yelled, ‘This is suicide! You have to come with us.’

He didn’t even look at her. Just squared his shoulders, tightening his grip on his revolvers and loosing off shot after shot, ducking evasively behind the minimal available cover. ‘Someone has to buy you the time to get away. Get Nagato and _go_. I’ll be right behind you.’

A man fell to the ground beside Kakashi, bleeding red into the dust.

Konan hesitated, but as another bullet shot by, chipping the rock by her head, she gave in. ‘You’d better be,’ she yelled, emptying her guns into the crowd and sprinting through a small gap in the rock.

‘After them!’ Yūra ordered.

Several men broke away from the group, giving chase, and Kakashi knew it was his time to act. He charged at Yūra, arm outstretched to lock a chokehold round his neck. Maybe he would be slightly more reasonable with a gun to his head. But as his arm shot past, the marshal pivoted, neatly catching it and bending it behind Kakashi’s back, forcing him onto his knees. He leaned down, making a low noise of disapproval, ‘Now _sheriff_ , be reasonable. You don’t want to do that. Don’t sacrifice your career for some low-life criminal scum like him.’

Kakashi bristled, fighting back with everything he had, and Yūra kicked the gun from his hand.

‘What I do with my life is _my_ choice,’ he spat.

Obito was whirling about like a vengeful hurricane now. He really was a magnificent fighter, seemingly impervious to bullets, and taking out Yūra’s men, one by one. With the force split like this, they might even have a chance at getting out of here after all.

Then so long as Obito didn’t shoot first, and ask questions later, Kakashi could explain.  

It was as though Yūra could read his mind though. A harsh laugh escaped his throat. ‘I don’t know what he has over you Hatake, but it ends now.’

Calm and steady, he raised his gun, lining up the shot.

_Blam!_

Obito stumbled backward, clutching his shoulder, teeth clenched. Beneath his fingers, a dark stain began to spread, soaking through the fabric of his loose linen shirt. His face paled to ghostly white when he saw it, equal parts shock and disbelief as he peeled back his hand, staring at the blood covering his fingers as though he couldn’t believe it was really there.

White-hot terror coursed through every inch of Kakashi. ‘Obito!’ he screamed, though the voice that rang out seemed a million miles away, dispossessed of him somehow.

The outlaw looked up, swaying a little on his feet, beautiful dark eyes pained as they met Kakashi’s. He tried to take a step forward, but his legs buckled beneath him and he slumped to the ground, breathing in ragged gasps.

It was more than Kakashi could take. He snarled, thrashing violently to escape Yūra’s grasp, but with Obito now subdued, his men were quick to respond. They held Kakashi down, pinning his limbs to the ground so he couldn’t even see Obito anymore – only hear his pained shallow breathing. Small gasped sobs that Kakashi swore he could feel in his own chest.

Yūra’s face appeared above his, shaking his head like he was disappointed. ‘I’m sorry for this sheriff, but as I’m sure you understand, I have to do my job.’ He smiled weakly before glancing at Obito and adding, ‘Or perhaps not.’

Then a rifle butt slid into view – the last thing Kakashi saw before blackness took over.  

***

He woke with a splitting headache, chained and manacled in a cell, to Yūra’s unsmiling countenance. Terror flooding back in a nauseous wave, Kakashi looked around for any sign of Obito. But there was nothing. The other cells were empty. 

Choking back rising panic, he tried unsuccessfully to project an even tone. ‘Where is he?’

Yūra’s stern expression didn’t shift an inch. ‘Gone.’

A low broken sound tore itself from Kakashi’s throat. ‘And the others?’ he managed.

That earned a flicker of annoyance. ‘Escaped, for _now_. Seems your friend accomplished that much at least. But we’ll hunt them down soon enough. A gang is nothing without its leader.’

 _You’re wrong_ , Kakashi wanted to tell him. _They’re more resourceful than you give them credit for_. But the dark creep of despair settling in his gut was overwhelming his will to fight. If Obito was dead, then everything… their dreams… their future… the hopes they’d shared only this morning. It had all been snuffed out, sure as a fire starved of oxygen. Sharp pinpricks stung behind his eyes.

Yūra folded his arms. ‘Well then. Seems you and I need to have a little talk.’

Kakashi shot him a hateful look. He’d gambled and lost. What was left for him now ended only one way – disgrace, prison, or maybe if he was lucky, the hangman’s noose. No amount of talking was ever going to change that. ‘Can’t say I’m in the talking mood.’

Yūra sighed, pulling his chair forward. His shoulders slumped, as though there was a heavy weight upon them. ‘I’m not your enemy Kakashi. Whatever you seem to think. I want to offer you an opportunity – a way out. Call it a favour to your father if you like, God knows I owe him that much.’ He looked pained and haggard - like a man desperately in need of the bottle of whisky presumably still sitting his office. ‘I don’t know what the Akatsuki had over you, and I don’t expect you’ll ever tell me. But I’d rather not see a decent man punished for one mistake.’

‘Decent – hah.’ Kakashi ran his tongue around the inside of his teeth, searching for the source of the blood he could still taste. ‘You still believe that after tonight?’

‘I think you made a mistake. I don’t think that makes you a bad person.’

A bitter broken laugh cracked its way out of his chest. Obito, a mistake? That couldn’t have been further from the truth. He’d been the only thing that had ever been real. It was the rest of Kakashi’s life that had been the mistake.

But Yūra was still talking. ‘Your father forgave me my mistakes once. Without him, I’d probably be sitting where you are now. So I want to offer you a choice – stay here and rot in jail, or acknowledge that you were wrong and I’ll see to it that you go home.’

‘Home?’ Kakashi stared at him, incredulous.

‘To Konoha.’

The very idea was absurd. What did Yūra expect him to do - just go back to Konoha and pretend none of it had ever happened? Pick up the mantle of sheriff and inhabit it like the empty façade it would be? No. Going back had never been part of the plan. It had been Akatsuki or nothing. Going back would be to admit defeat.

He nearly spat as much at Yūra’s feet.

But really… hadn’t he already been defeated? Obito was gone, and Kakashi had lost everything the moment that bullet had bitten into his flesh.

A dangerous and confusing cocktail of feelings bubbled away inside him - burning hot rage urging him to wrap his hands round Yūra’s neck and squeeze, tighter and tighter until the life drained right out of him – tempered by cold, apathetic loss.

‘You’d go back, record intact, including a credit for capturing the brothers. That alone should be enough to see you offered a position as a marshal. All I ask is that someone looks in on you every once in a while – a mentor of sorts, to make sure you’re— on the right track. Minato, perhaps? After all, he did train you when you first started.’

Kakashi stared at the ground, cold weight of the manacles sitting heavy around his wrists. It sounded too good to be true. His old position back, _and_ a recommendation for marshal? Everything he’d ever wanted from his life _before_ … As though Obito had never happened.

To accept – that would be the real betrayal wouldn’t it?

But… what did it even matter anymore? One way or another his life was over. The part that mattered anyway. How and where he lived the rest of it didn’t seem important. He swallowed down bile, and the taste of treason on his tongue. ‘Alright.’

It was barely more than a whisper, but Yūra gave him a tight-lipped smile, patting his hand in emotionless sympathy. ‘You’ve made the right choice. In time you’ll see.’

***

They welcomed him back like a conquering hero.

Crowds in the streets, cheering his name – the sheriff they had thought lost returning, and soon to be a marshal no less. Rin cried when she saw him, gentle fingers lingering over the new scar on his eye, though Kakashi already couldn’t imagine himself without it. Yamato greeted him solemnly, admitting to quiet relief he could step down from the sheriff’s post and hand over responsibility of Naruto and Sasuke – still as wild as ever – back to Kakashi.

He moved his things into the new sheriff’s office - completed shortly before his return - and found absolutely nothing had changed in his absence: except him.

Another day, another pointless job. He began to find excuses to get away from it all, often riding out into the desert for hours at a time, or overnight, just to be alone with his thoughts. He dreamed too sometimes, that Obito was there with him, pressed warm against his side, murmuring in his ear as though they’d succeeded and the world was theirs for the taking. He would wake then – tears in his eyes, wishing desperately to be able go back – even just for a day. To have the chance to tell Obito he hadn’t done it; hadn’t betrayed him like he’d thought.

It wrecked him to think Obito had died like that, feeling abandoned and alone, forsaken by the very person he’d given his absolute trust to. For that alone, Kakashi could never forgive himself.

He began to think he lived more in his dreams than reality.

Yūra hadn’t told him where Obito was buried, and he hadn’t asked, guessing the answer wouldn’t be given. What difference would it have made anyway, to stand in front of a cold slab of stone, spouting empty apologies? Obito had been more than just a creature of flesh, blood and bone. He’d been fleeting and transcendent; a force that had wrought an irreversible change within Kakashi, showing him a different life, however briefly. And from that innocence lost, there was no coming back.

They had dinner at Ichiraku Steakhouse shortly after his return – he, Rin, Yamato, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura – to celebrate his investiture as a marshal. Kakashi picked silently at his food, lost in thought while the others chatted cheerfully. Only Rin seemed to notice, shooting him a small unhappy look. She knew _something_ was wrong, just not what. He looked away when she raised a brow, all the while knowing they’d been friends for far too long for him to hide this. He’d always been quiet, but in a thoughtful kind of way - not a wishing the ground would open up and swallow him kind of way, and Rin knew it.

Things finally came to a head when Yamato raised his glass, proposing a well-intentioned toast; ‘To Konoha’s very own hero, who not only brought down the Gold and Silver Brothers, but Akatsuki too!’

Kakashi nearly choked on his food. A table of expectant faces watched, waiting for him to join them. Instead the room seemed to shrink in on itself, too small, too hot, too claustrophobic for enormity of the lie he was living. It brought with it a terrible wave of nausea that roiled in the pit of his stomach.

He had to get out.  

Throwing back his chair, Kakashi burst out the door and into the night, losing the contents of his stomach in the alleyway beside the restaurant then sinking to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. It wasn’t _fair_. To be living like this, without him…

A soft hand cupped his cheek and he looked up into Rin’s warm coffee-brown eyes. ‘Kakashi, what’s wrong?’

The dam he’d been holding back all this time burst – chipped away in shards for every day he lived on without Obito. He wrapped his arms around Rin’s legs, resting his head somewhere over her stomach, and sobbing uncontrollably into her neat and tidy waistcoat. ‘I made a mistake Rin- a horrible, horrible mistake. And someone was hurt because of it.’

She sighed, combing her fingers gently through his hair. ‘At least tell me what happened?’

He sniffed, unable not to smile through tears, despite it all. ‘I met someone. He was— amazing, funny, handsome—  complete asshole too at times.’ A fresh wave of despair overcame him as he imagined what Obito might have thought of that description of him. ‘But when we were together, everything felt right. We were happy.’

Rin’s face broke into a delighted smile and she smoothed the hair gently off Kakashi’s forehead. ‘You’re in love!’

Kakashi didn’t bother to deny it. How could he?

‘The great Hatake Kakashi, heartbreaker of women, married to his work, actually fell in love with another human being!’ Rin enthused, taking his face in her hands.

‘I never even told him,’ Kakashi said, snivelling pathetically.

‘You idiot!’ she said fondly.

‘That’s what he used to call me too.’

She chuckled, soft creases appearing at the corners of her eyes. ‘I like this man already. So what went wrong?’

Kakashi choked past a broken sob. ‘If I tell you, you have to promise to keep it to yourself.’

Pulling him to his feet, she wrapped her fingers tightly round his own, expression serious. ‘You know I will Kakashi. Anything. Just let me share this with you.’

He sniffed again, hesitating only slightly. ‘He got— shot and killed. And it was _my_ fault. I got careless.’

Rin frowned, confusion in her expression gradually displaced by creeping realisation. Her mouth popped open, brows disappearing somewhere up toward her hairline. ‘Wait, you’re not talking about—'

‘Uchiha Obito,’ Kakashi confirmed.

Wide-eyed, she stared at him for what felt like the longest time before pinching her nose and letting out a long-suffering groan. If Kakashi had been expecting some kind of scathing judgement and dismissal though, what he got was anything but.

‘We’re definitely going to need alcohol. A _lot_ of alcohol,’ Rin muttered, settling an arm comfortably over his shoulders and pulling him close. ‘But if you’re willing, this is one story I’d really like to hear.’

Kakashi breathed out. Telling it wouldn’t be easy. But maybe it would help him live with what had happened. To be able to talk with someone and not have to pretend he was happy about the fate of Obito and the gang. It wasn’t forgetting. It _wasn’t_. Maybe just— the first step towards learning to live the rest of life without him.

‘Yeah, ok,’ he breathed.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visit, some unexpected news, and Kakashi makes a decision.

The evening was just turning cold out as Kakashi closed the door to the sheriff’s office behind him. Another day of pointless work. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered at all. Whether it wouldn’t just be easier to give up and join Obito. But he knew Rin would never let him live that down. She’d been nothing but supportive since he’d shared his story, and though it didn’t change what had happened, he owed her more than to up and disappear on her again. Or worse.

‘Sheriff! How are you on this beautiful evening?’

Kakashi nearly leapt out of his skin. So much for being alone.  

A distinguished figure crossed the street to stand by his side, eagle feather in his braided hair fluttering as he gestured toward a velvet sky strewn with stars. A sky that made Kakashi long for all the nights he’d spent with Obito beneath those very same stars. Obito, who he’d never see again…

‘I’m fine thank you Hashirama,’ he said, hoping the Senju wouldn’t hear the quiver to his voice.

Hashirama tilted his head. ‘It’s far too beautiful an evening to only be fine sheriff,’ he remarked, tone easy, but with the underlying weight that always had a way of making Kakashi feel uncomfortable. As though Hashirama could see more to the world than he was letting on.

Kakashi shrugged and Hashirama smiled, leaning casually against the building, obviously not intending to go anywhere anytime soon. ‘I wonder if you’ve heard the news?’

‘What news would that be?’

‘Stories from our cousins in the Bear tribe, that a black cougar stalks the hills to the north again.’

‘I hadn’t heard.’ Though why he would have Kakashi didn’t know. Senju business was Senju business. They generally preferred to keep it within the tribe, and away from outsiders. That Hashirama was even telling him was unusual. He wondered if he should read anything into it… but it had been a long day, and he was tired.

‘They say it is an omen,’ Hashirama continued.

‘Of what?’ Kakashi asked, wishing very much he would just get to the point so he could go home already.  

‘War.’

It was a struggle to find the energy to care, even for that. ‘Well for what it’s worth, I hope they’re wrong,’ he offered.

Hashirama nodded sagely, sinking his hands into his pockets and staring off into the dark. ‘As do I sheriff. But you know… our people have a legend about this. They say that the cougar was defeated once before, by a wolf of pure white, who protected our tribes at great personal cost.’

Kakashi frowned. ‘Why are you telling me this?’

That earnt him a small cryptic smile. ‘Times are changing. Trouble comes this way, and some amongst our tribe have a name for you. Yuki no ōkami. The snow wolf. They say your actions have proven you an honourable man, just like the wolf of the story.’

Kakashi shifted on his feet a little, uncertain. He wasn’t sure honourable was a word that could rightfully be applied to him anymore. ‘I hope you’re not expecting me to fight a cougar for you?’

With a cheerful laugh, Hashirama waved the idea away. ‘No. That is just a legend. A tale to amuse children.’

‘So… What’s your point then?’

The Senju gave an amicable shrug. ‘Don’t have one! The spirits merely led me here tonight, and it is not my place to question their workings.’

‘The spirits led you?’

He held up a small cloth package with a broad smile, like it answered all of Kakashi’s questions. ‘The pipe tobacco sold next door is very good.’

‘Hashirama!’ a voice snapped, its owner emerging from the shop and eyeing Kakashi with disdain. ‘We should be on our way.’

‘Alright, alright.’ Hashirama waved his brother off, whispering conspiratorially to Kakashi as soon as his back was turned, ‘Too much of the eagle in him. Always so quick to anger, just like our father.’

‘Uh, sure.’

Withdrawing a clipped newspaper article from his jacket pocket and casting a covert glance at Tobirama’s retreating figure, Hashirama pushed it firmly into Kakashi’s hand. ‘Wolves are admirable creatures you know. Always taking care of their own. They mate for life too.’

Precisely what that had to do with anything, Kakashi didn’t know. He stared back blankly.

But Hashirama seemed unperturbed by his silence. He shot Kakashi a knowing smile, broad-lipped and cheerful, showing disconcertingly white teeth. The effect of it skirted closer to unsettling than reassuring, raising hairs on the back of Kakashi’s neck. There really was something otherworldly about Hashirama at times… ethereal almost. Like he was looking right into Kakashi’s soul and seeing him for what he really was, secrets and all.

A hand settled onto his shoulder, confusingly warm and human by contrast. ‘You know sheriff… it’s never too late.’

Kakashi blinked. _Never too late—_ what was he—

‘Wait!’ he called after Hashirama’s receding back. ‘Never too late for what?’

But Hashirama just raised a hand as he walked away. ‘Goodnight snow wolf! Happy hunting.’

Frowning, Kakashi stared after him. He unfolded the piece of paper in his hand, glancing down at the headline:

 

**Captured Akatsuki Leader to Hang**

 

Kakashi's ears began to ring, a desperate weightlessness taking hold in his chest. _Captured?_ No… How could that be? He’d seen the shot himself. Obito was— had been—

Frantically he scanned the opening sentences of the article:

 

**The State Governor announced to a jubilant crowd on Tuesday morning that captured Akatsuki leader Uchiha Obito would hang during upcoming Spring celebrations in Konoha. Gravely injured during his apprehension, the exact whereabouts of the gang leader’s location are a being kept closely guarded secret, nonetheless state officials have assured the public he is being held under the tightest of security…**

 

_Captured. Not dead._

Kakashi leaned heavily against the rough sawn exterior of the building, breathing in the sharp scent of new the wood, chest tight. Obito was _alive_. Captured yes, and due to hang mere months from now. But _alive_.

He felt electric, as though a storm was coalescing and coursing through his veins. Like his life had regained purpose again. Because if Obito was alive, that meant—

It meant Yūra had lied for a start, the conniving bastard. A cold fury took hold in his chest. The marshal had obviously judged – correctly too - that if Kakashi known Obito had lived, he would never have accepted the offer to return to Konoha.

And Hashirama of all people had been the one to tell him. _How_? How could he possibly have known the significance of the information he was giving Kakashi? But he _had_ , of that Kakashi was in no doubt. So all the talk of spirits, and wolves, and war…

Well, who knew what all that had been about. And now Kakashi had more important problems to deal with.  

A mad idea was beginning to take hold in his mind. Like a whirlwind he shot back into the office, tossing the newspaper article onto his desk beside the paperwork investing him as a marshal. Lightheaded, he braced his hands against it, breathing heavily.

Being a marshal was everything he’d ever wanted – until Obito. Until the outlaw had showed him a side to life that he’d been missing. The last few weeks - facing up to a future without Obito - had seemed bleak and empty. Life without him was no life at all – Kakashi understood that now. The world was incomplete without Obito in it, even if he wasn’t with Kakashi.

But— he had nothing to go on. No idea where Obito was being kept, or how to go about getting him out. To even consider a prison break he’d need help. People on his side, with the requisite skills to carry out such a task…

_A pack needs a leader…_

He stared at the newspaper cutting. There was a print in it, a wood-block copy of a photograph. In it the state governor posed gaily next to a chained and manacled Obito. His head had been shaved, shoulders sagging unevenly, like he knew he was done for. More than that though, like he didn’t care anymore.

Kakashi’s heart felt like it was tearing in two. It had all been his fault. If he’d only been more careful…

_They mate for life too…_

He tugged off his sheriff’s badge, holding it in one hand and the bandanna Obito had given him in the other. So many nights they’d spent together, planning a future. One that was snatched away before it could even start.

_It’s never too late…_

And maybe it wasn’t. Obito wasn’t dead yet. There was still time.

Nagato’s words from the cemetery in Ame came flooding back to him. ‘ _When you find something, or someone, you can fight for, you have to do it. Otherwise you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it.’_

Would he regret losing Obito?

Was that even a question? Life could never be the same again without him. No amount of accolades or fancy titles from the state would ever change that. Consciously or not, Kakashi had made his choice that night Obito had pulled him from the lake. From that day on, there had been no going back, even if it had taken him a lot longer to realise it.  

Jaw clenched, he slammed the badge onto the desk. He might not know where Obito was being kept, but he sure as hell knew where to go to find out.

Yūra was going to talk, one way or another. Kakashi would make sure of it.  

He looped the Akatsuki bandana around his neck, securing it with a firm knot, then buckled on his belt and gun holster. Spring celebrations coincided with the brightly coloured wildflower blooms that carpeted the desert valleys after the first rains. Which meant three months, give or take, for him to execute a prison break. That was _definitely_ going to take help.  

Luckily, Kakashi knew where to find that too. He just didn’t think she’d be happy to see him.

But if he was fortunate, and she didn’t put a bullet through him on sight, she should know how to track down the others.

The Akatsuki gang would ride again.

Leaving his badge on the desk along with his old life, Kakashi saddled Biscuit and rode into the night. No doubt in his mind – just a grim certainty he felt to the depths of his soul:

He was going to get Obito back, or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap everyone! Thanks so much for sticking with me throughout this story. I’m sorry the last chapter took so long to get out. I had the worst writers block for it and had to skive off and write about 30,000 words of other projects before I could face up to getting it done. But I’m excited to have finished my first multi-chapter story, and almost on the anniversary of its inception!
> 
> Would love to hear from you 😊


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